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Virginia Downs No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette 10-4
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FULLERTON, Calif. – The Virginia softball team (13-9) earned its second win over a ranked opponent this season with a 10-4 win over No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette in the team’s first game of the 2010 Judi Garman Invitational.
The Cavaliers also defeated fourth-ranked Michigan 2-1 earlier this season at LSU’s Tiger Classic.
A six-run sixth inning lifted the Cavaliers over ULL, which dropped to 15-8 this season. Virginia finished the game with nine hits. The Ragin’ Cajuns tallied six hits and committed five errors.
Freshman Melanie Mitchell picked up her ninth win in the circle, tossing the complete game and finishing with 11 strikeouts. She allowed three earned runs on six hits in the win.
Giannina Cipolloni, Sarah Tacke and Clara Kendall each compiled two hits in the victory. Cipolloni and Tacke both finished with 2 RBI.
Cipolloni got things rolling for Virginia in the second inning when her double down the right field line scored Abby Snyder and Alison Pittman as the Cavaliers took a 2-0 lead.
Louisiana-Lafayette picked up a run in the bottom of the second to cut the lead to 2-1. The Ragin’ Cajuns then piled on three runs in the third to take a 4-2 advantage.
Virginia responded with a big fourth inning. Alex Skinkis singled to lead off and took second on a fielding error. Kendall then singled through the left side to put runners on first and third. Pittman reached base on a throwing error by the shortstop to score Skinkis. Another ULL error allowed Kendall to score and put Abby Snyder on base. Pittman scored on a fielder’s choice by Lauren McCaskey, Lauren Didlake, who pinch ran for Snyder, scored on a Nicole Koren RBI single and both McCaskey and Koren scored on Tacke’s single.
The Cavaliers added two more scores in the seventh. With one out, Tacke doubled to left center. Skinkis reached on an error by the shortstop and stole second to put two runners on. Kendall then beat out an infield single to score Tacke as Skinkis moved over to third. She would score on teammate Alexa Martinez’s RBI groundout.
The Cavalier defense shut down ULL in its final four at-bats to pick up the victory.
Virginia will face Fresno State at 3:45 p.m. PDT (6 p.m.) Friday as the Cavaliers continue play in the Judi Garman Invitational.