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Virginia Softball Falls Twice To Boston College
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March 31, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Boston College hit six home runs to sweep a doubleheader from the Virginia softball team Saturday (March 31) at the Park. The Cavaliers fell in the opener 8-6 and then lost the nightcap 8-7. With the two setbacks, UVa falls to 11-24 overall and 0-8 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Boston College improves to 5-11 overall and 2-3 in the ACC.
The Eagles used a pair of homers in the third inning to help them register an 8-6 win in the first game of the doubleheader. In game two, Jenna Macchi clouted three of BC’s four homers and drove in seven runs, including a two-run shot in the seventh inning to help BC pull out the come-from-behind win.
In the first game, Virginia took a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Fourth-year first baseman Brooke Sorber (Alexandria, Va.) drew a walk to lead off the game and she advanced to second on fourth-year second baseman Elea Crockett’s (Tucson, Ariz.) single to left center. Both players moved up a base on a ground out and then scored on first-year third baseman Abby Snyder’s (Cantonment, Fla.) two-run double to left center. Boston College came back to score five runs with two outs in the third inning. Britney Thompson hit a three-run homer to center and then Taylor Peyton followed with a two-run shot to left center. The Cavaliers closed the gap to 5-4 in the bottom of the third. Fourth-year center fielder Meghan O’Leary (Baton Rouge, La.) led off with a single through the right side of the infield and moved to third on the first of Sorber’s school record tying three doubles in the contest. O’Leary scored on Crockett’s fielder’s choice grounder to second. Sober then scored on first-year designated player Kelly Haller’s (Leesburg, Va.) sacrifice fly to left field.
The Cavaliers took their first lead of the game by scoring two runs in the fifth for a 6-5 advantage. Sorber roped a one-out double down the left field line. A sacrifice moved her to third and the Haller belted a two-run homer to left field. It was Haller’s team-leading ninth home run of the season. The Eagles came back to score three runs – all with two outs – in the sixth to take an 8-6 lead. Renee Ramos hit a two-run single up the middle and Macchi followed with another run-scoring single up the middle. The Cavaliers loaded the bases with one out in the last half of the seventh, but BC’s Britney Thompson battled to get a pair of strikeouts to end the game.
Fourth-year pitcher Coty Tolar (Marietta, Ga.) went a total of 4.2 innings in two stints in the circle for UVa. She allowed six runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Second-year Karla Wilburn (Del Mar, Calif.) pitched 2.1 innings and took the loss to fall to 6-10. She allowed two runs on two hits with a pair of strikeouts. Thompson registered the complete-game victory for the Eagles. She allowed six runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and three walks.
In the second game, Macchi smacked a three-run homer to left in the first inning to give the Eagles an early lead. UVa got a run back in the bottom of the second. First-year right fielder Sarah Tacke’s (Merced, Calif.) led off with a single up the middle and moved to second on a groundout. Tacke scored from second when fourth-year catcher Michelle Salmiery’s (San Jose, Calif.) ground ball to third was misplayed for a fielding error. In the third, Macchi increased BC’s lead to 5-1 with a two-run homer to left center. In the fourth inning, Virginia closed the gap to 5-2 on Snyder’s hard single to right field with two outs that scored Crockett from third base. Crockett had singled to center and moved to second on a walk to Haller. A failed pickoff attempt advanced Crockett to third. The Cavaliers pulled within a run, 5-4, with a pair of tallies in the fourth. Salmiery walked to lead off the inning and moved to second on O’Leary’s infield single. A walk to second-year shortstop Kierstie Cameron (Pinon Hills, Calif.) loaded the bases. A fielder’s choice grounder by Sorber forced Salmiery out at the plate. O’Leary scored on Crockett’s fielder’s choice grounder to second. Haller then plated Cameron with a single down the left field line, but was thrown out at second on the play to end the inning.
Peyton led off the top of the sixth with her second homer of the afternoon to stake BC to a 6-4 lead. Salmiery answered with a homer to left field to lead off the home half of the sixth to make the score 6-5. O’Leary followed with a single to second base and moved to second on Cameron’s sacrifice bunt. Sorber was hit by a pitch and then O’Leary was forced out at third on Crockett’s fielder’s choice grounder to short. Haller came through in the clutch with a long two-run single to right center to give the Cavaliers a 7-6 advantage. After a one-out walk to Ramos, Macchi drilled her third homer of the day – a two-run shot to center – to give the Eagles an 8-7 lead. UVa nearly tied the score with two outs in the seventh on third-year Whitney Holstun’s (Escondido, Calif.) fly ball to right that was caught at the fence to end the game.
Wilburn was the saddled with her second loss of the afternoon to fall to 6-11 on the season. In 3.1 innings of relief work, Wilburn gave up three runs on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Tolar pitched three innings and allowed three runs on five hits with two strikeouts. First-year Nicole Koren (Warminster, Pa.) faced the first two batters of the game and allowed two runs while walking one. Holstun relieved Wilburn in the seventh and retired the only two batters she faced. Amanda Klimczak pitched the final 1.2 innings and allowed one hit to record the win and improve to 1-1 on the season. Peyton threw the first 5.1 innings for BC and allowed seven runs (five earned) on seven hits with four walks and a strikeout.
Haller had three hits and six RBI in the twinbill for the Cavaliers, while Sorber had three doubles in the first game and scored four runs on the afternoon. O’Leary also had three hits and scored two runs, while Snyder had two hits and three RBI.
The Cavaliers wrap up their three-game series with Boston College on Sunday (April 1) with a 1 p.m. game at The Park.