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Larquier Belts Three Homers In UVa Doubleheader Split With Radford
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April 21, 2005
RADFORD, Va. – Third-year All-American third baseman Sara Larquier (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) drilled three homers and drove in six runs in the University of Virginia softball team’s doubleheader split with Radford Thursday (April 21) at Dedmon Center Field. UVa set a school record with four home runs, including back-to-back-to-back rounder trippers, in taking the nightcap 6-2. The Highlanders won the first game 4-2. The Cavaliers now stand at 23-26 overall, while Radford is 30-21 on the season.
Virginia set the school record for home runs in a game with four in the 6-2 victory in the second game of the twinbill. Larquier tied the school record with her two-homer game. It marked the seventh time a Cavalier has belted two homers in a contest, including Larquier who hit two home runs against St. Francis (Pa.) on March 1, 2003. She is only the second UVa player with two two-homers games as Michelle Daly also accomplished the feat with both two homer games coming in the 1993 season. Larquier’s third homer of the afternoon and second in the nightcap started a string of three consecutive home runs, the first time in school history Virginia has hit back-to-back-to-back round trippers. Larquier hit a three-run blast down the left field line with two outs in the sixth inning, then fourth-year catcher Jenn Wynn (Herndon, Va./Herndon) blasted the next pitch over the center field fence. First-year first baseman Whitney Holstun (Escondido, Calif./Escondido) rounded out the trio of homers with a shot over the right field fence.
The Highlanders won the first game 4-2. UVa took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Larquier’s RBI double to left center that scored second-year second baseman Elea Crockett (Tucson, Ariz./University) from first base. Crockett reached on a bunt single. Radford tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom half of the inning on Ashley Taylor’s RBI single. Radford used three hits and a UVa error to score three runs in the third inning to take a 4-1 advantage. The score remained unchanged until Larquier led off the seventh inning with a home run to center field.
Second-year pitcher Coty Tolar (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter) fell to 9-12 with the loss in the circle. In 5.1 innings, Tolar allowed four runs (three earned) on 10 hits with three strikeouts. Third-year Erin Horn (Tallahassee, Fla./Leon), fresh off a no-hitter against George Washington yesterday, retired two of the three batters she faced. Radford’s Breanna Felix picked up the complete-game victory to improve to 20-10. She allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts.
The Cavaliers earned a split in the doubleheader with a 6-2 victory in the nightcap. Ashley Taylor gave the Highlanders a 1-0 lead with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the second. Morgan Nicholas made the score 2-0 with a RBI single that plated Amanda Walling later in the inning. Walling hit a double to reach base. The ‘Hoos cut Radford’s lead in half in the fourth inning when Larquier blasted her second homer of the afternoon, a two-out home run to right field. In the fifth frame, Radford got the first two outs of the inning, but third-year right fielder Jessica Taylor (Philadelphia, Pa./Germantown Academy) singled up the middle and Crockett kept the inning alive with an infield hit to shortstop. Larquier put the Cavaliers ahead for good with her third homer of the afternoon and seventh of the season, a three-run shot down the left field line. Wynn followed with her seventh home run of the season to make the score 5-1. Holstun then hit UVa’s school record fourth homer of the game to make the final score 6-2.
Horn improved to 10-7 on the season with her complete-game effort. She allowed two runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. Ashley Taylor (9-9) took the loss as she allowed six runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts.
The Cavaliers return to action this weekend in a key Atlantic Coast Conference three-game series against Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla. The Cavaliers play a doubleheader against Florida State at 1:00 p.m. Saturday (April 23) and then wrap up the series with a single game against the Seminoles on Sunday (April 24) at 1:00 p.m.