Virginia Softball Drops Two Games at JU Invitational
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March 3, 2007
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Virginia softball team lost a pair of games Saturday evening (March 3) at the Crispers/JU Invitational at Jacksonville University’s Ashley Sports Complex. UVa lost to No. 13 Michigan 8-0 in six innings and then let a three-run lead slip away in a 6-3 loss to Notre Dame. With the two losses, the Cavaliers fall to 7-12 on the season.
The Cavaliers held Michigan (18-1) scoreless through four innings, but the Wolverines exploded for four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings for the 8-0 victory. In the fifth, Alessandra Giampaolo drove in what proved to be the game-winning run with a single through the right side of the infield. Samantha Findlay increased the lead to 2-0 with a RBI single to right field. Teddi Ewing plated the last two runs of the inning with a double to left center. Michigan put the game out of reach with four more runs in the sixth. Roya St. Clair made the Cavaliers pay for back-to-back walks to lead off the inning with a two-run double to left center to make the score 6-0. Ewing and Maggie Viefhaus closed out the scoring with consecutive RBI doubles.
Second-year Karla Wilburn (Del Mar, Calif.) held the Wolverines to two hits through four innings, but allowed four runs on five hits in the fifth to suffer the loss. Wilburn (5-6) walked two and struck out one in 4.1 innings of work. Fourth-year Coty Tolar (Marietta, Ga.) replaced Wilburn and allowed four runs on three hits with three walks and a strikeout in 1.1 innings of work. Nikki Nemitz (8-0) tossed a two-hit shutout in a complete-game effort for Michigan. She struck out two batters and walked one.
First-year third baseman Abby Snyder (Cantonment, Fla.) singled through the right side of the infield with two outs in the second for UVa’s first hit of the game. First-year left fielder Nicole Koren (Warminster, Pa.) followed with a double down the right field line to move Snyder to third. Michigan got out of the inning with a ground out to second and did not allow another hit in the contest.
Against Notre Dame (7-7), the Cavaliers built a 3-0 lead, but the Fighting Irish scored all six of their runs in the bottom of the fifth for the 6-3 victory. UVa scored its first run in the top of the second. Fourth-year left fielder Brooke Sorber (Alexandria, Va.) reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced to third on Koren’s single through the right side of the infield. Sorber scored when ND’s shortstop booted fourth-year shortstop Elea Crockett’s (Tucson, Ariz.) two-out grounder. Virginia built its lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth. First-year first baseman Kelly Haller (Leesburg, Va.) hit a two-out homer to left center. McKean then reached on an error by the first baseman. A double down the right field line by first-year right fielder Sarah Tacke (Merced, Calif.) scored McKean to make the score 3-0.
The Irish used four hits and a Virginia error to score six runs (three earned) in the bottom half of the fifth. Linda Kohan began the rally with a one-out RBI double to left center. A pitching change brought Wilburn in the game and Heather Johnson greeted her with a two-run single to left field to tie the game at 3-3. Katie Laing reached when her grounder to short was misplayed for an error. With two outs, Erin Glasco gave Notre Dame a 6-3 lead with a three-run homer to right field.
Koren suffered the loss in the circle to fall to 0-2 on the season. In 4.1 innings, Koren allowed three runs on four hits and issued four walks. Wilburn pitched the final 1.2 innings and gave up three unearned runs on two hits while striking out a pair of batters. Brittney Bargar (6-2) picked up the win for Notre Dame. In 5.2 innings, she allowed three runs (one earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Kenya Fuemmeler registered the save with 1.1 innings of one-hit relief work.
Crockett and Koren both went 2-4 for Virginia. In addition to her fourth home run of the season, Haller drew a pair of walks.
UVa wraps up play in the Crispers/JU Invitational with three games on Sunday (March 4). The Cavaliers play Michigan at 11 a.m. followed by back-to-back games against Jacksonville at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.