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Cavaliers Lose Three on Day Two of Kajkawa Classic
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TEMPE, Ariz. The Virginia softball team (0-4) lost three games Saturday, the second day of the Kajkawa Classic, in Tempe, Ariz. The Cavaliers opened the day with a 14-4 setback to fifth-ranked Arizona State. UVa then dropped two one-run games, falling to Oklahoma State 10-9 in 10 innings and No. 25 Oregon State 7-6.
In game one, the Sun Devils opened the contest with a five-run first inning. Virginia rallied back to score one in the second and two in the third, to cut the deficit to 5-3. Arizona State answered in the bottom half of the third with two more runs to go up 7-3, and had a seven-run fourth inning to expand its lead.
Third-year Carly Winger led Virginia at the plate, going 3-for-3 on the day, while teammate Lindsey Preuss added a pair of singles as well. Fourth-year Whitney Holstun pitched three innings for the Cavaliers before first-year Alle Rife made her college debut in the circle, pitching an inning of relief.
Against Oklahoma State, Virginia got on the board first when Sarah Tacke scored on a single up the middle by Kelly Haller in the second inning. The Cowgirls took a 2-1 lead in the third, but the Cavaliers answered in the fourth with four runs, including a lead-off homer by Pruess, her second of the season.
The Cavaliers carried a 6-5 advantage into the bottom of top of the seventh inning, but Oklahoma State’s Young hit a solo shot with two outs to send the game into extra innings.
Extra innings were played based on international rules, with a runner starting on second base at the start of each half-inning. Both Virginia and Oklahoma State scored a run in eighth and ninth innings. In the top of the 10th, the Cowgirls put up two scores and the Cavaliers could not answer.
Fifth-year Meghan O’Leary and Preuss each tallied two singles against Oklahoma State. Third-year Karla Wilburn went all 10 innings for Virginia in the circle.
Virginia dropped another one-run game, 7-6 against No. 25 Oregon State in the third game of the day.
The Cavaliers led 1-0 early when O’Leary singled, stole second, and scored on a single by Pruess. UVa built a 6-0 lead after a five-run third, highlighted by a grand slam from Tacke, her first home run of the season.
The Beavers chipped away at the lead, scoring one in the fourth and two in the fifth. After tying the game in the bottom of the sixth, back-to-back singles would score the eventual winning run after the Cavaliers went 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh.
Virginia will play Western Michigan at 11 a.m. eastern time Sunday to close out the tournament.