Softball Rolls to Seventh-Straight Win

April 26, 2017

Box Score | PDF

UVA Top Performers
Katie Park: 3-for-3, 2 2Bs, 2 runs, RBI
Danni Ingraham: 3-for-4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBIs
Erika Osherow: 5.0 IP, CG, 0 R, 5 Ks

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (21-29) won its seventh-straight game, an 8-0 victory over George Washington (24-22) in non-conference action at The Park. Head Coach Joanna Hardin was credited with her 100^th victory of her career.

The Cavaliers jumped out to a 7-0 lead after three innings and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the fifth on a double to center field by Danni Ingraham (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) that scored pinch-runner Tia Mitchell (Clarksburg, Md.) from second base.

In the circle, Erika Osherow threw her third-straight complete game and her first shutout of the season. She struck out five batters in five innings pitched for her 14^th win of the season.

Senior Katie Park (Scottsdale, Ariz.) paced the Cavalier offense from the start, with a lead-off double in the bottom of the first inning. It was the first of her two doubles on the night and she eventually came around for Virginia’s first run on a RBI single by Ingraham. Her first inning double was her 60^th hit of the season. She is one of two players to reach the 60-hit plateau since 2008.

A lead-off triple by Iyana Hughes (Manteca, Calif.) started a three-run rally in the top of the second inning. After she scored on a Madison Labshere (El Cajon, Calif.) sacrifice fly, RBI hits by Kaitlin Fitzgerald (Placentia, Calif.) and Ingraham pushed the Virginia lead to 4-0.

Hughes was one of four multi-hit performers and finished the day going 2-for-2 with two runs scored. In the bottom of the third inning, Hughes stole her 39^th base of her career, moving her into a tie for 10^th all-time on Virginia’s career stolen base list.

The Cavaliers capitalized on a Colonial miscue for two unearned runs in the bottom of the third and run-scoring hits off the bats of Hughes and Park to made the score, 7-0. Park extended her hit streak to a team-high, nine games and she has now reached base safely in 11-straight. Her three-hit performance was her 20^th multi-hit game of 2017.

Virginia will return to ACC play on Friday (April 28) when it opens up a three-game series at Louisville. All three games of the pivotal ACC series will be aired live on ACC Network Extra.

Additional Notes
-Head Coach Joanna Hardin won 79 games in two seasons at McNeese State and has led Virginia to its first 20-win season since 2013.
-Kaitlin Fitzgerald (62 hits in 2015) and Katie Park are the only two Cavaliers to have 60 hits in a season since 2008.
-Danni Ingraham recorded her second triple of her career in the bottom of the second inning.
-Virginia improved to 11-3 all-time against George Washington.
-The Cavaliers are now 12-5 when scoring first and have scored in the first inning in the last three games.
-Wednesday’s win was Virginia’s third run-rule victory of the season.