/
.
Cavaliers Welcome Longwood for Home Opener Tuesday
Story Links
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia softball team (12-7) welcomes in-state foe Longwood (10-3) for its home opener Tuesday at The Park. The two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. with the second game to start at approximately 4 p.m. Live statistics will be available on VirginiaSports.com.
The Cavaliers are coming off a solid outing at the Citrus Classic held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., over the weekend. Virginia compiled a 3-2 record, including a 3-2 upset of No. 13 Oregon. The squad also registered wins against Illinois State (3-0 in eight innings) and Long Island (9-4) while falling to No. 17 Louisiana-Lafayette (9-1) and No. 1 Alabama (4-0).
Junior Alison Pittman led Virginia over the weekend going 6-for-15 (.400) at the plate. Freshman Marcy Bowdren hit .313 at the tournament while classmate Erica Cipolloni recorded a team-best four RBI. Cipolloni also went 2-0 in the circle while Melanie Mitchell recorded 22 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings of work.
On the season, freshman Stephanie Harris leads the Cavaliers with a .345 average, while Pittman’s .314 average is second on the squad. Sophomore Kristen Hawkins also registers a team-best 12 RBI. On the basepaths, Virginia is 32-39 in stolen bases this year, led by a perfect 10-for-10 by junior Giannina Cipolloni.
Mitchell is 7-6 in the circle with a 3.28 ERA. She has 106 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings. Erica Cipolloni is 3-1 with a 2.07 ERA.
Longwood is coming off a 2-3 showing at the Citrus Classic, joining the Cavaliers in Florida. The Lancers won their first two games – a 2-0 win over Notre Dame followed by an 8-0 victory over Long Island. The team lost to Maryland (16-0), Illinois (7-5) and Illinois State (6-2 in nine innings) to conclude the tournament.
Sophomore Brooke Short paces the Longwood offense with a .429 average, including a team-best five home runs and 16 RBI. Junior Ashley Kramer and senior Nichole Simmons each bat .410; Kramer contributes 11 RBI while Simmons is 7-for-7 in stolen bases.
Senior pitcher Briana Wells is 8-3 on the year with a 2.22 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 72 2/3 innings. Freshman Brittany Shotwell has also seen action; she is 2-0 and has thrown 13 1/3 innings.
Longwood leads the all-time series with Virginia, 11-10, including a doubleheader sweep last year in Farmville, Va. The Lancers beat the Cavaliers 5-3 and 1-0.