Cavaliers Win Two on First Day of Winthrop Combat Invitational
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March 1, 2013
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ROCK HILL, S.C.—The Virginia softball team picked up two wins on the first day of the Winthrop Combat Invitational Friday (March 1) in Rock Hill, S.C. The Cavaliers (8-7) defeated Rhode Island, 4-2, before taking down the host Eagles, 5-0.
Against Rhode Island, freshman pitcher Aimee Chapdelaine (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) allowed a run in each of the first two innings, but did not allow a run the next four innings. Chapdelaine (2-3) struck out three while allowing four hits in six innings of work, before senior Melanie Mitchell (White Plains, Md.) struck out the side in the seventh to pick up her first save of the season.
Down 2-0 in the second, senior Kristen Hawkins (Elizabeth, Pa.) put the Cavaliers on the board with an RBI double to left center that scored freshman Taylor Sarcone (Staten Island, N.Y.).
Senior Alex Skinkis (La Palma, Calif.) homered to lead of the fifth inning to tie the game at two, before junior Marcy Bowdren (Fairfax Station, Va.) and sophomore Megan Harris (Knoxville, Tenn.) hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the sixth and give UVa the 4-2 advantage.
Against the Eagles, Mitchell (6-3) struck out 13, while only allowing one hit, a Jenna Harbin double in the third inning. It was the senior’s 22nd career shutout and 98th complete game of her career. Mitchell became the second Cavalier to reach 900 career strikeouts and now has 911, only 21 behind Michelle Collins (932).
In the fourth inning, Bowdren hit her second home run of the day to give the Cavaliers a 1-0 lead. In the seventh, junior Karli Johnson (Lovettsville, Va.) hit a two-run home run that scored Harris and Hawkins doubled to score Skinkis and junior Erica Cipolloni (Philadelphia, Pa.) to close out the scoring.
The Cavaliers return to action Saturday when they face Hartford at 3 p.m. and UNC Greensboro at 5 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C.