Softball on Short End of Two Pitchers' Duels

March 28, 2017

Game 1 Box Score | PDF |Game 2 Box Score | PDF

UVA Top Performers
Game 1: Erika Osherow: 6 IP, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SO | 1-for-2, BB
Game 2: Lexi Mettler: 4 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 2 SO

FARMVILLE, Va. – Despite tremendous pitching efforts, Virginia (11-22) suffered two, one-run losses in a doubleheader at Longwood (12-16). The Lancers held on for a 1-0 victory in game one and completed the sweep with a 2-1 win in the nightcap.

Virginia pitchers Erika Osherow (Darien, Conn.) and Lexi Mettler (Turlock, Calif.) allowed just three runs in a combined 12 innings pitched. Longwood’s Elizabeth McCarthy struck out 11 batters in game two, one shy of a career-high, while Sydney Gay fanned five in game one.

The Cavaliers will continue Atlantic Coast Conference play this Friday (March 31) when they begin a three-game series at North Carolina. First pitch on Friday night is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be aired live on ACC Network Extra.

Game 1 – Longwood 1, Virginia 0
Osherow had one of her best outings of the spring, allowing just one run over six innings of work. She struck out two batters, walked one and scattered three Longwood hits.

The lone run of the ball game came across in the bottom of the second inning when Glenn Walters laced a two-out double to left field that allowed Justina Augustine to score all the way from first base.

Osherow didn’t allow a runner past first base over the final four innings.

Longwood pitcher Sydney Gay retired the first seven batters of the game before Osherow singled in the top of the third. The Cavaliers placed a runner on base in each of the final four innings but were unable to plate the tying run. Gay was credited with the complete game shutout and earned her ninth win of the season.

At the plate, Osherow was 1-for-2 with a walk. She was one of three Virginia batters to reach base. Senior Katie Park (Scottsdale, Ariz.) had the other Cavalier hit, a single in the top of the sixth.

Game 2 – Longwood 2, Virginia 1
The Cavalier offense looked poised for a big day when Allison Davis (Oak Hill, Va.), the second batter of the game, tripled and then scored on an ensuing hit by Iyana Hughes (Manteca, Calif.). The triple was Davis’ team-leading, fourth of the season and helped give Virginia the early 1-0 advantage.

The lead was short-lived as Longwood’s first batter of the game, Kaylynn Batten, homered over the left center field wall to knot the game at one.

From that point on, the game belonged to Mettler and McCarthy. From the first to fifth innings, Mettler retired 10-straight batters. Her only mistake came in the bottom of the fifth when Glenn Walters drove a 2-2 pitch over the right field wall, the eventual game-winning run.

McCarthy was equally as dominant and at one point retired 14 consecutive batters. Her 11 strikeouts moved her within one of tying the Longwood career strikeout record of 572. She pitched all seven innings, allowed four hits and did not walk a batter.

Making her third start of the season, Tia Mitchell (Clarksburg, Md.) put an end to McCarthy’s run on the Virginia lineup with a bunt single in the top of the sixth.

Junior Danni Ingraham (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) led the top of the seventh off with her fifth double of the season and eventually moved to third with one out. McCarthy recorded her final strikeout and induced the game-ending ground out, stranding the tying run at third.

Additional Notes
-Katie Park made her first two career starts at second base. She totaled six assists and seven putouts in two games.
-Iyana Hughes stole a base in each game and now leads the team with four on the season.
-Virginia has six stolen bases in the last 11 games after collecting just four over the first 21 games
-This marks only the second time that Virginia has been swept in a doubleheader this season.
-The Cavaliers are now 5-5 in one-run games this season.