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Virginia Softball Drops Doubleheader To East Carolina
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March 6, 2007
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Virginia softball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader to East Carolina Tuesday (March 6) at the ECU Softball Field. The Cavaliers’ seventh-inning rally fell a run short as UVa lost the first game 4-3 and then the Pirates scored the final seven runs in a 7-1 victory in the nightcap. With the two losses, the Cavaliers fall to 8-16 on the season, while ECU improves to 14-6.
In the first game, UVa’s three-run rally in the top of the seventh inning fell just short as the Cavaliers fell 4-3. First-year first baseman Kelly Haller (Leesburg, Va.) began the rally with her team-leading fifth home run of the season. Fourth-year designated player Amy McKean (Kent, Wash.) followed with a single to right field and she scored on first-year right fielder Sarah Tacke’s (Merced, Calif.) triple to center field. After a strikeout, first-year left fielder Nicole Koren (Warminster, Pa.) brought Tacke home with a sacrifice fly to left field to bring the Cavaliers within a run.
East Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Kaui Tom, who drew a walk, stole second base and scored on Jessica Johnson’s double to left field. The Pirates took advantage of a UVa error to score a pair of unearned runs in the third inning. Baggett’s single to left field plated two runs with two outs to increase ECU’s lead to 3-0. East Carolina extended its lead to 4-0 with an unearned run in the sixth. The Pirates used a walk, a stolen base, and two throwing errors to account for their final run.
Second-year Karla Wilburn (Del Mar, Calif.) allowed just one earned run while suffering the loss in the circle to fall to 6-8 on the season. In a complete-game effort, Wilburn gave up four runs on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Keli Harrell picked up the win for ECU to improve to 8-3 on the season. Harrell allowed three runs on four hits with six strikeouts and a pair of walks.
In the second game, UVa took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. With one out, first-year third baseman Abby Snyder (Cantonment, Fla.) drew a walk and came around to score on third-year second baseman Lindsey Preuss’ (La Plata, Md.) tripled to center field. East Carolina tied the game at 1-1 in the third on Johnson’s two-out homer to left center.
East Carolina scored three runs in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead. Toms led off with a walk and scored on Charina Sumner’s two-run homer. Johnson followed with a double to right field and Christina Merrida, who pinch ran for Johnson, scored with two outs on Cristen Aona’s single to center field. The Pirates broke the game open with three more runs in the sixth to make the score 7-1. Tom and Johnson sandwiched run-scoring singles around a RBI triple from Sumner.
Fourth-year Coty Tolar (Marietta, Ga.) took the loss in relief to fall to 2-5 on the season. In 3.2 innings, Tolar gave up four runs on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks. She relieved third-year Whitney Holstun (Escondido, Calif.), who retired one of the two batters she faced, in the first inning. Wilburn entered the contest in the fifth inning and allowed three runs on five hits with two walks and a strikeout. Toni Paisley went the distance for ECU and improved to 6-1. She allowed one run on four hits with six walks and three strikeouts.
Haller was 2-3 with three walks in the doubleheader to lead the Cavaliers.
Virginia has 10 days off before it returns to action with the start of its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule. The Cavaliers travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a three-game series against North Carolina March 17-18. UVa squares off against the Tar Heels in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 17 at 1 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday, March 18 at 1 p.m.