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Softball
Early Offense Pushes Softball Past Coppin State
Feb. 26, 2017
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Virginia jumped all over Coppin State (1-11) early in an 8-1 victory on the final day of the ECU Pirate Invitational. The Cavaliers finished the weekend 3-2 and will head into Atlantic Coast Conference play next weekend at 8-8 overall.
Virginia scored five runs in the first two innings, including four in the bottom of the first. Senior McKall Miller (Ashburn, Va.) drove in a game-high, three runs and went 2-for-3 with a home run to pace the Cavalier offense.
Sophomore Erika Osherow (Darien, Conn.) did her part in the circle, allowing just an unearned run in a complete-game, two-hitter. She struck out two batters, walked two and earned her team-best, fourth win of the season.
The four-run outburst in the first inning was highlighted by a pair of triples, the first by Allison Davis (Oak Hill, Va.) and then another by Danni Ingraham (Laguna Niguel, Calif.). Two runs scored on the first career three-bagger by Ingraham and then two more came across on Miller’s fourth home run of the spring. Miller moves into a three-way tie with Allison Davis and Olivia Gott (Weston, Fla.) for the team lead for homers.
After adding a run in the top of the second, Virginia posted three more runs in the bottom of the fifth, one shy of ending the contest early. Sophomore Lacy Smith (Lancaster, Pa.), one of three Cavalier multi-hit performers, hit a towering, two-run homer to left field that scored Miller. The long ball was the second of the season for Smith in just 27 at bats.
Park and Davis also put forth multi-hit efforts, each with two hits and two runs scored.
Making her first start of the season, sophomore Lexi Mettler (Turlock, Calif.) collected her first hit of the season in the bottom of the fourth. Sunday marked the fifth time this season that the Cavalier offense has racked up 10 or more hits.
The eight wins for Virginia are the most before March 1 since 2012.
ACC play begins this weekend at the Park when the Cavaliers host Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash March 3-5. Friday night’s series opener at 5:00 p.m. will also serve as Virginia’s home opener after 16 games away from Charlottesville. The two teams will square off on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. before closing the series at noon on Sunday.