Virginia Softball Registers 6-2 Win Over Boston College
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April 1, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –
After a pair of tough losses to Boston College Saturday, the Virginia softball team bounced back with an impressive 6-2 win over the Eagles Sunday (April 1) at The Park. The Cavaliers received three innings of excellent relief work from third-year Whitney Holstun (Escondido, Calif.), who earned the victory in the circle, and home runs from first-year designated player Kelly Haller (Leesburg, Va.) and second-year shortstop Kierstie Cameron (Pinon Hills, Calif.). The Cavaliers now stand at 12-24 overall and 1-8 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while BC falls to 5-12 overall and 2-4 in the ACC.
Boston College took its only lead of the game in the top of the first inning. Renee Ramos was hit by a pitch with one out. She was forced out at second on Jenna Macchi’s fielder’s choice ground out. Macchi then scored on Britney Thompson’s double down the right field line. UVa tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom half of the second. Fourth-year first baseman Brooke Sorber (Alexandria, Va.) led off with her team-leading seventh double of the season down the left field line and moved to third on fourth-year second baseman Elea Crockett’s (Tucson, Ariz.) sacrifice bunt. Sorber scored Virginia’s first run of the game on Haller’s RBI ground out.
The Cavaliers took the lead for good with three runs in the third. Haller began UVa’s two-out rally with a hard single down the left field line. Holstun came in to pinch run for her and moved to third on consecutive walks to first-year right fielder Sarah Tacke (Merced, Calif.) and first-year third baseman Abby Snyder (Cantonment, Fla.). Fourth-year catcher Michelle Salmiery (San Jose, Calif.) cleared the bases with a single to right center that fell in between three BC players and gave Virginia a 4-1 lead. Haller increased UVa’s lead to 5-1 by hitting her 10th homer of the season to left field with two outs in the fourth. The Eagles got a run back in the fifth inning when Macchi hit a two-out single up the middle that scored Carley McNary from second base to make the score 5-2. Cameron added an insurance run in the sixth inning when she led off with a home to left center. It marked her first home run of the season.
Holstun notched her first decision of the season with three innings of relief work. Holstun allowed one run on two hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Fourth-year pitcher Coty Tolar (Marietta, Ga.) started in the circle before giving way to Holstun in the third. Tolar then relieved second-year Karla Wilburn (Del Mar, Calif.) in the sixth and recorded the final five outs to register her first save of the season. Tolar threw a total of 3.2 innings and allowed one run on five hits with one strikeout. Wilburn faced three batters in the sixth and allowed one hit and a walk while retiring one batter. Thompson took the loss in the circle for Boston College and fell to 3-5. In 2.2 innings, Thompson allowed four runs on five hits with three walks and a strikeout. Amanda Klimczak pitched the final 3.1 innings and gave up two runs on three hits with one walk and a strikeout.
Fourth-year center fielder Meghan O’Leary (Baton Rouge, La.) was 3-3 at the plate, while Haller had two hits in four at-bats with two RBI. Salmiery had three RBI with her lone hit in the contest.
UVa continues its 10-game homestand on Tuesday (April 3) with a 2 p.m. doubleheader against Towson at The Park.