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Softball
Fifth Inning Liberty Rally Dooms Softball
April 11, 2017
UVA Top Performers
Allison Davis: 3-for-4, three singles
McKall Miller: 2-for-4
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty starting pitcher Julia DiMartino scattered eight Virginia (14-27) hits in a 4-0 shutout in the opening game of a home-and-home series. The Flames registered their ninth shutout of the season and improved to 27-16 on the season.
The Cavaliers weren’t able to cash in on early scoring opportunities in the first three innings. Virginia left the bases loaded in the top of the first and left runners in scoring position in the next two turns at the plate.
Junior Allison Davis (Oak Hill, Va.) was responsible for three of Virginia’s eight hits. Davis, the team’s leader in multi-hit games with seven, recorded her second, three-hit performance of the season. She upped her batting average to a team-best, .353.
DiMartino threw 131 pitches and stranded a total of 10 Cavalier base runners on the night. She struck out six batters while walking only one in her 10th win of the season.
The Flames did the majority of their damage in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run, two-out rally. Tori Zavodny beat out a chopper to second base for a hit that allowed the second Liberty run to score. The next batter, Amber Bishop belted a two-run homer over the left field wall to make the score 4-0.
Before the Flame rally, Lacy Smith (Lancaster, Pa.) had posted three-straight scoreless innings in the circle for Virginia. The speed of Zavodny also led to the first Flame run when she scored from second base on a fielder’s choice to the right side of the infield in the bottom of the first. Smith tossed five total innings and struck out one batter. Lexi Mettler (Turlock, Calif.) came on in relief in the sixth and held the score at 4-0.
Senior McKall Miller (Ashburn, Va.) put together her sixth multi-hit effort of the season. She is 6-for-14 (.429) since returning to the lineup.
The Cavaliers and Flames will complete the home-and-home series tomorrow (Wednesday) in Charlottesville. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Park.
Additional Notes
-Madison Labshere (El Cajon, Calif.) and Kaitlin Fitzgerald (Placentia, Calif.) were responsible for the only two Virginia extra-base hits, each collecting doubles.
-Outfielder Iyana Hughes (Manteca, Calif.) turned a double play by making a running catch in shallow right center field and then caught a Flames runner too far off the first base bag. It was her second career double play in 262 previous chances and in the process recorded her 10th outfield assist of the season.
-Virginia and Liberty have split doubleheaders in each of the last two meetings.
-The announced attendance of 954 was the largest crowd UVA has played in front of this season.