Virginia Softball Plays at Hampton Wednesday

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia softball team (4-7) begins midweek play Wednesday with a doubleheader at Hampton. The Cavaliers and Pirates will begin at 1 p.m. with a second game to start at approximately 3 p.m. in Hampton, Va.

Virginia is coming off a 2-2 weekend at the Cavalier Invitational, which was held over the weekend at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va. The Cavaliers recorded two wins over George Washington (9-0 and 6-0) but dropped two games to Notre Dame (11-3 and 9-0).

Senior Sarah Tacke leads UVa at the plate this season with a team best .375 batting average, in addition to two home runs and five RBI. Teammate Nicole Koren also contributes at team-best four home runs and eight RBI to go along with her .367 average. Sophomore Clara Kendall is also hitting .259 and is coming off a solid weekend at plate. Meanwhile, pitcher Melanie Mitchell has three of the team’s wins in the circle; she has 42 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings of work.

Hampton is 3-7 on the season and is fresh off a 1-3 record at the Aggie Tournament held in Greensboro, N.C. The Pirates defeated Maryland Eastern-Shore by a score of 12-0 and dropped games to Appalachian State (13-0), North Carolina A&T (5-1) and Coppin State (4-2).

Rebecca Magett leads Hampton with a .438 batting average while Sharde Estep is hitting .429 with three doubles on the year. Brooke Boykis also puts up a .269 average with a team-best 11 RBI and three doubles. Pitcher Travonna Byrd posts a 3.34 ERA in 35 innings of work and is limiting opponents to a .186 batting average.

Virginia and Hampton have met just once before, with the Cavaliers earning a 4-2 win in Charlottesville last season.