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April 15, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Virginia softball team received complete-game pitching performances from fourth-year Erin Horn (Tallahassee, Fla.) and third-year Coty Tolar (Marietta, Ga.) in registering a doubleheader sweep over Maryland Saturday (Apr. 15) at the Terrapin Softball Complex. The Cavaliers won the opener 2-1 behind Horn’s pitching performance and Tolar helped lead UVa to a 4-1 victory in the nightcap. With the two wins, Virginia improves to 24-17 overall and 5-8 in the ACC, while the Terrapins fall to 25-19 overall and 4-9 in the conference.
Horn and Tolar combined to limit Maryland to two runs (one earned) on eight hits. In UVa’s 2-1 win in the opener, Horn went the distance in the circle to improve to 10-7 on the season. She allowed one run on four hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. With the victory, Horn moved into fourth place on UVa’s all-time wins list with 58, passing Kristen Dennis (1999-02). In the nightcap, Tolar registered her first complete-game of the season while improving to 3-1. She allowed one unearned run on four hits with one strikeout and one walk.
In the first game, the Cavaliers scored a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a 2-0 lead. Third-year third baseman Meghan O’Leary (Baton Rouge, La.) led off with a single to shortstop. She moved to second on third-year second baseman Elea Crockett’s (Tucson, Ariz.) sacrifice bunt. O’Leary scored from second base on fourth-year center fielder Jessica Taylor’s (Philadelphia, Pa.) double to left field. Taylor then scored from second base when Maryland first baseman Lindsay Klein dropped the throw on Horn’s grounder to second base. Maryland cut UVa’s lead to 2-1 in the bottom half of the fifth when Devon Williams hit a two-out double to third and scored on Abbey Welch’s triple to right center.
Crystal Crews (15-9) took the loss in the circle for Maryland. In six innings, she allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits with four strikeouts and a walk. Welch threw a scoreless seventh inning for the Terrapins.
Virginia took a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning of the second game. With one out, Taylor was hit by a pitch and then stole second base. Fourth-year shortstop Sara Larquier (Burbank, Calif.) struck out swinging, but the ball got away from Maryland’s catcher for a passed ball and the throw to first hit Larquier, allowing Taylor to score the first run of the game. Larquier then stole second base and moved to third on Horn’s single to center. Larquier scored on third-year catcher Michelle Salmiery’s (San Jose, Calif.) RBI groundout to second base. The Terps took advantage of a UVa’s lone error of the doubleheader to score an unearned run in the third to cut Virginia’s lead to 2-1. Welch reached on an error by Larquier and eventually scored on Klein’s sacrifice fly to center.
The Cavaliers increased their lead to 4-1 with two two-out runs in the fifth. Taylor led off the inning with a double to center field. With two down, second-year designated player Lindsey Preuss (La Plata, Md.) laced a triple down the right field line to easily score Taylor. Salmiery followed with a sharp single up the middle to plate Preuss and give UVa a 4-1 lead. Preuss and Salmiery’s hits were UVa’s first two-out hits of the doubleheader.
Welch took the loss for Maryland to fall to 2-3. In one-third of an inning, Welch allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit with one strikeout. Meredith Nelles relieved Welch in the first and went 4.1 innings and gave up two runs on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Crews pitched the final 2.1 innings and allowed three hits with two strikeouts.
O’Leary and Horn both had three hits for UVa, while Taylor had two hits and scored three runs.
Virginia’s three-game series with Maryland concludes Sunday (Apr. 16) with a single game at 1:00 p.m.