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FAIRFAX, Va.The Virginia softball team improved to 21-9 on the season after a sweep of George Mason Tuesday in a doubleheader. The Cavaliers downed the Patriots 3-2 in eight innings in game one before earning a 5-1 victory in game two.
Virginia outhit George Mason 9-4 in the second game, including three singles from sophomore Alison Pittman.
The trio of Nicole Koren, Stephanie Coates and Alle Rife each contributed in the circle. Koren and Coates each pitched two innings and both allowed no runs on no hits, with Koren recording two strikeouts. Rife tossed the final three innings of play and gave up one run on four hits while striking out four.
The Cavaliers were first on the board in the second game, putting up two runs in the top of the first. With one out, Gianinna Cipolloni singled through the right side. Carly Winger then reached on a fielder’s choice and took second after Cipolloni was caught in a rundown. With two outs, Sarah Tacke blasted her team-leading ninth home run of the year over the fence in right center.
Virginia added another run in the top of the second to take a 3-0 lead. Abby Snyder walked to lead off the inning and stole second, and later stole third after the catcher slightly bobbled the ball. With one out, Lauren McCaskey walked after hitting two long balls just left of the foul pole down the left field line to put two runners on base. Casey Steffan then ripped an RBI single through the left side to score Snyder. That was all Virginia would come away with as the Patriots escaped with the bases loaded after Pittman reached on a bunt single.
UVa scored twice more in the fifth. Winger beat out an infield single to lead off the inning and Jennifer Bowles came on to pinch run. After Tacke walked, Clara Kendall bunted both runners over. With one out, freshman Rachel Harvey pinched hit and grounded out to second, scoring Bowles. Tacke moved to third and later scored after a Koren single through the left side.
The Patriots compiled its first hit on the game in the sixth. Alyssa See singled up the middle and took second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Rachael Davies singled up the middle and See moved to third. The next batter, Tori Dudley, singled to left to score See and put Mason on the board.
George Mason would load the bases in the seventh, brining the winning run to the plate, but a pop out to McCaskey at second ended the game.
In the first contest, Winger had the game-winning RBI for Virginia in the top of the eighth inning. Pittman was placed on second to start the inning. Cipolloni sacrificed her over to third on a bunt for the first out of the stanza. The next batter, Winger, successfully hit the ball to the right side, a groundout to second, which scored Pittman from third.
The Cavalier defense was able to hold the Patriots scoreless in the bottom half of the inning to take the win, its first extra-inning victory of the season.
Senior Karla Wilburn earned her 15th win of the season, tossing all eight innings and allowing two runs on five hits. Wilburn also fanned six batters without giving up a single walk.
Becky Anderson took the loss for George Mason, also pitching eight innings. She allowed three runs, two of which were earned, on four hits. She also tallied four strikeouts and one walk in the contest.
The Patriots were first to score, thanks to Tori Dudley’s two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. Alison Bryan had previously reached base after a single to center.
The Cavaliers were able to tie the game in the second after back-to-back-to-back hits from Virginia’s lineup. With one out, McCaskey singled through the left side. The next batter, Steffan, tripled to right center to score McCaskey. Pittman followed with an RBI single, also through the left side, that scored Steffan. Pittman finished with two of UVa’s four hits in the game.
Virginia returns home to The Park to face Liberty in a doubleheader at 5 p.m. Wednesday.