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Tolar And Haller Lead Virginia Softball To Sweep Over Radford
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March 21, 2007
RADFORD, Va. – Fourth-year pitcher Coty Tolar (Marietta, Ga.) notched a pair of victories and first-year first baseman Kelly Haller (Leesburg, Va.) had four hits, including two home runs, and six RBI to lead the Virginia softball team to a doubleheader sweep over Radford Wednesday (March 21) at Dedmon Center Field. The Cavaliers won the first game 2-1 and then took the nightcap 9-1 in six innings. With the two wins, UVa improves to 10-19 on the season, while the Highlanders fall to 21-16.
Tolar (4-5) threw a total of 9.2 innings in the two games to earn both victories. She allowed just one run on six hits with five strikeouts and no walks. Haller was 4-5 at the plate in the twinbill with six RBI and a pair of home runs in the second contest. Her two home runs in the second game tied the school record. It marked the 10th time a UVa player has hit a pair of homers in the same game.
In the first game, UVa jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Fourth-year designated player Brooke Sorber (Alexandria, Va.) led off with a double to left field and moved to third on fourth-year second baseman Elea Crockett’s (Tucson, Ariz.) sacrifice bunt. Sorber scored on Haller’s line drive sacrifice fly to right field. First-year right fielder Sarah Tacke (Merced, Calif.) staked the Cavaliers to a 2-0 lead with a long home run on an 0-2 pitch off the light pole in right field. It was Tacke’s second career home run.
Radford got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third when Amanda Davidson led off with a homer to right center to make the score 2-1. The Highlanders went on to load the bases with one out, but Tolar came in and got the final two outs of the inning to preserve UVa’s lead.
Tolar pitched the final 4.2 innings to pick up the win in the circle. She allowed just three singles while striking out four batters. First-year pitcher Nicole Koren (Warminster, Pa.) made her third consecutive start in the circle and went 2.1 innings while allowing one run on five hits with one strikeout. Ashley Taylor (9-10) took the loss for Radford. She gave up two runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
In game two, Sorber duplicated her leadoff at-bat from the first game by doubling off the wall in left field. She moved to third on Crockett’s bunt single with Crockett taking second base on the play. Haller brought Sorber home with the first run of the game with a RBI groundout to shortstop. Crockett took third on the play and then scored on fourth-year catcher Amy McKean’s (Kent, Wash.) sacrifice fly to the warning track in center field.
Haller increased UVa’s lead to 3-0 with a solo home run to right center with two outs in the top of the third. Virginia added two more runs in the fourth inning. Tacke led off with a walk and third-year Casey Steffan (Long Valley, N.J.), who was pinch running for Tacke, stole second base. Steffan advanced to third on fourth-year center fielder Meghan O’Leary’s (Baton Rouge, La.) bunt single. O’Leary then stole second base and Steffan scored on the play on a fielding error by Radford’s shortstop with O’Leary taking third base. O’Leary made a 5-0 when she scored on second-year shortstop Kierstie Cameron’s (Pinon Hills, Calif.) ground ball to short that was misplayed for an error.
Haller increased UVa’s lead to 6-0 in the fifth when she launched her second homer of the game and eighth of the season to right center. The Highlanders got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth on Cassie Rhodes’ leadoff homer to right center that made the score 6-1. UVa answered with three runs in the sixth to extend its lead to 9-1. With two outs, Cameron reached on an error by the Highlanders’ left fielder and scored on Sorber’s single up the middle. Koren then pinch hit for Crockett and drew a walk. Crockett re-entered the game and she and Sorber scored on Haller’s line drive single to left center. The RBI were the fourth and fifth of the game for Haller.
Tolar registered her second win in the circle of the day. She threw the first five innings and allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout. Second-year Karla Wilburn (Del Mar, Calif.) pitched the final inning for the Cavaliers and retired three of the four batters she faced. Bre Felix fell to 12-4 with the complete-game loss for Radford. Felix allowed nine runs (four earned) on 10 hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
In addition to Haller’s four hits and six RBI, Sorber had an outstanding afternoon for the Cavaliers. She went 4-8 with two doubles, three runs scored and a RBI.
The Cavaliers return to action this weekend when they open the home portion of their season with a three-game series against Maryland at The Park. Virginia plays a doubleheader against the Terrapins on Saturday (March 24) beginning at 1 p.m. The series concludes with a single game on Sunday (March 25) at 1 p.m.