Cavaliers Down Middle Tennessee in Season Opener, 6-3

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GREENVILLE, N.C. The Virginia softball team (1-0) opened the 2009 campaign with a 6-3 win over Middle Tennessee (0-1) Saturday at the Pirate Invitational in Greenville, N.C. Third-year Nicole Koren returned after sitting out the 2008 season because of injury to lead the Cavaliers at the plate with a 3-for-3 performance and three RBI.

Virginia recorded 11 hits in the win. Koren, the designated player, finished with a double and two singles while teammates Sarah Tacke, Casey Steffan and first-year Clara Kendall each contributed two singles. Abby Snyder and Lauren McCaskey also tallied hits while Steffan had two RBI.

Wilburn went the distance and allowed three runs on nine hits. She stuck out six and walked just one batter.

The Cavaliers racked up four runs in the top of the second. Sarah Tacke led off with a single into right center. With one out, Abby Snyder singled up the middle to put two on. Lauren McCaskey followed with a fielder’s choice to the third baseman but Tacke avoided her tag and Snyder slid in safely to second to load the bases.

Koren, making her first appearance at the plate since the 2007 season, ripped a ball into center to score Tacke and Synder. Steffan made it back-to-back RBI singles, hitting a ball up the middle to score McCaskey and Koren. The Cavaliers led 4-0.

The Orange and Blue added two more runs in the top of the fourth. McCaskey led of the inning with a single to left followed by a RBI Koren double to center, bringing in McCaskey around from first. A Steffan single put runners on the corners and Alison Pittman recorded the RBI as Koren scored on a groundout to second.

With Virginia taking a 6-0 lead, MTSU fought back and scored one run in the bottom of the sixth and two in the seventh. With two runs in the final inning, the Blue Raiders had the tying run at the plate with two outs and ended the game on a long fly ball to deep center.