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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The Virginia softball team (3-10) picked up its third win of the season after beating Coastal Carolina 9-5 Saturday on day two of the JU Softball Tournament. UVa’s 14 hits are the most this season and the team’s nine runs also tie the season-high.
Virginia previously had 11 hits against Wagner last weekend in the Tennessee Classic. On Saturday the hits were again plentiful; six Cavaliers in the nine-player lineup tallied two hits. Right fielder Sarah Tacke led the way with two doubles, Kelly Haller was 2-for-2 with a single and a double, and Lauren McCaskey, Lindsey Preuss, Carly Winger and Abby Snyder each recorded two singles in the winning effort.
First-year Allee Rife earned her second win of the season in the circle for the Cavaliers. Rife threw 4 1/3 innings and allowed five runs, four of them earned, on 10 Coastal Carolina hits. Rife also fanned six batters, the most of the season, and allowed just two walks. Rife’s previous game-high was two strikeouts against Western Michigan back on Feb. 17.
Fourth-year co-captain came on in relief and closed out the game. Holstun went 2 2/3 innings, gave up two hits and did not allow a run. Holstun also registered a strikeout.
After a 1-2-3 inning for Coastal to start the game, Virginia put two runs on the board in the first inning. Fifth-year Meghan O’Leary led off with a bunt single. A sac bunt from Lauren McCaskey moved O’Leary to second and a groundout to the shortstop by Lindsey Preuss moved her to third. Cleanup hitter Kelly Haller knocked in the run with a base hit to left field and the Cavaliers took a quick 1-0 lead. Courtney Pettit followed with a single through the left side to put runners on first and third with two outs. A Coastal error scored Haller to make it 2-0.
The Lady Chanticleers responded in the second and cut the UVa lead to 2-1. A lead-off single by Verity Long-Droppert started off the inning. A sac bunt and back-to-back singles scored Long-Droppert. Rife got out of the jam with a bases-loaded strikeout.
Coastal Carolina scored twice more in the third inning to go up 4-3, but Virginia put four runs on the board in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead. Preuss led off the inning with a single through the left side. Haller knocked a RBI double to left to score Preuss. Third-year Casey Steffan came in to pinch run for Haller and would score when Carly Winger singled through the left side. Synder followed with a single to left and moved Winger to third base.
First-year Jennifer Bowles entered the game as a pinch runner for Snyder and immediately advanced to second on a wild pitch. With two on and one out, Rife came to the plate and earned a sac fly to center that scored Winger. Bowles later scored on a wild pitch and the Cavaliers led 6-3.
Coastal cut the UVa lead to 6-5 in the fourth inning. With one out and one off, Kelsey Riffel blasted a two-run shot to left.
Virginia was quick to get the runs back, scoring two of its own in the bottom of the fourth. McCaskey led of with a single through the left side and later advanced to second on a Preuss groundout. Haller was intentionally given a free pass, her first of two in the game. After a strikeout, Winger blasted a single of her own through the left side to score McCaskey and move Haller onto second base. The two runners moved a base on a passed ball and a RBI single by Snyder brought Haller home. The Cavaliers led 8-5 heading into the fifth inning.
UVa added an insurance run in the fifth. Tacke led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch before taking third on a Coastal passed ball. After a McCaskey infield single that put two runners on, Tacke crossed home on a RBI single from Preuss.
The loss dropped Coastal Carolina’s overall record to 5-11 this season.
The Cavaliers continue play with a second game against host Jacksonville at 5 p.m.