Softball Drops Season-Opener to Southern Utah, 5-3

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TEMPE, Ariz. Virginia’s Lindsey Pruess and newcomer Carly Winger each belted their first home runs of the season, but Virginia fell in the season-opener to Southern Utah, 5-3, at the Kajukawa Classic.

The Cavaliers scored one in the first and two in the third and finished with five hits. Southern Utah answered in the first, had a big three-run second inning and scored an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. SUU tallied six hits off junior pitcher Karla Wilburn.

“It was a good start and a good finish, but we had a lull in the middle,” Virginia head coach Eileen Schmidt said. “All the things that happened are fixable, so that is the positive.”

Virginia’s first inning was highlighted by Pruess’ solo shot. Winger hit a two-run homer in the third that also scored fifth-year Meghan O’Leary, who walked just before the third-year transfer stepped to the plate.

“Offensively, we lived and died a little bit with the big ball,” Schmidt continued. “We need to get better at what we do; being more situational. We are really a fundamental team offensively.”

Wilburn threw six innings for UVa and allowed five runs, two of them earned. Wilburn also fanned two batters while walking three.

“Karla had one rough inning, and that was about it,” Schmidt said. “She had five good others and we just need to keep building on that. Defensively, we were solid. We made all the routine plays we needed to.”

Virginia will play three games Saturday, starting with host Arizona State at 10:15 a.m. eastern time. The match-up with the Sun Devils was rained out Friday night.