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Virginia Softball Sweeps Twinbill From Liberty
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April 13, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Third-years Sara Larquier (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) and Jessica Taylor (Philadelphia, Pa./Germantown Academy) both had four hits in helping lead the University of Virginia softball team to a doubleheader sweep over Liberty Wednesday (April 13) at The Park. The Cavaliers registered a 4-1 victory in the first game and then posted a 6-2 win in the nightcap to improve to 18-24 on the season. Liberty falls to 16-22 with the losses.
In the first game, the Cavaliers pounded out 11 hits in recording a 4-1 victory. UVa opened the contest with three consecutive singles to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Taylor led off the inning with a single off the first baseman’s glove and second-year designated player Brooke Sorber (Alexandria, Va./Mount Vernon) followed with a bunt single. Larquier then hit a long RBI single to left field to score Taylor from second. Virginia added two more runs in the third inning. Sorber led off with a single and then stole second base. Wynn plated Sorber with a double to the gap in right center. First-year shortstop Lindsey Preuss (La Plata, Md./La Plata) then hit a triple to right center to score Wynn. The Cavaliers made it 4-0 with a single run in the fifth inning. Fourth-year left fielder Lauren Dennis (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) accounted for the fourth run with a single to left field that scored Preuss.
Second-year pitcher Coty Tolar (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter) lost her bid for the shutout when Liberty scored a run in the sixth. Jessica Moore, Beth Hensley and Ashley Williams hit consecutive singles with Moore scoring on Williams’ hit.
Tolar improved to 8-10 on the season with the complete-game victory. She allowed just the one earned run on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Terra Lowe fell to 7-8 with the loss. Lowe gave up four runs on 11 hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.
In the second game, the Cavaliers took a quick lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Sorber and Larquier hit back-to-back one-out singles and then Sorber scored on fourth-year designated Jenn Wynn’s (Herndon, Va./Herndon) single to left. Preuss then laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to score Larquier. Liberty cut the lead in half in the second inning on Moore’s single to left field that score Gertie Jeffries.
UVa increased hits lead to 4-1 in the third inning. Larquier led off with a triple to right field and scored on Preuss’ second squeeze bunt of the game. Preuss eventually scored when Dennis’ grounder to first base was misplayed for an error. In the fourth inning, third-year center fielder Jackie Greer (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) walked and advanced to second on a Taylor’s sacrifice bunt that was misplayed for an error. Greer moved to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch. Taylor then scored on Larquier’s double to right center to make the score 6-1. The Flames scored the final run of the game in the fifth inning. Liberty used two walks and an infield single to load the bases with one out. Tiffany Johnson’s RBI groundout to the pitcher scored Shannon McKain from third to make the score 6-2.
Third-year pitcher Erin Horn (Tallahassee, Fla./Leon) earned the complete-game win for the Cavaliers. She allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits. Horn struck out 10 batters and walked six. Sarah Swor (9-14) was saddled with the loss for Liberty. She gave up six runs (three earned) on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
In addition to Larquier and Taylor picking up four hits in the doubleheader, Sorber and Wynn both tallied three hits, while Preuss drove in three runs.
The Cavaliers return to action this weekend when they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a three-game series against North Carolina. Saturday’s (April 16) doubleheader will begin at 2:00 p.m., while Sunday’s game will start at 1:00 p.m.