Softball Travels to Louisville for Pivotal ACC Series

April 27, 2017

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Coming in with its longest win streak since 2012, Virginia (21-29, 8-13 ACC) will play the final three games of the regular season at Louisville (26-17, 9-7 ACC) beginning Friday (April 28). The entire series will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.

Schedule Note: Due to impending weather, Friday’s series opener has been moved up to 4 p.m.

Coverage: The series will air on ACC Network Extra which is available to authenticated subscribers of ESPN3 through WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Live statistics for all three games are available on VirginiaSports.com.

Leading off
-Friday will be the 12^th meeting between Louisville and Virginia.
-Since joining the ACC, the Cardinals have won all six meetings against Virginia.
-Virginia’s seven-game win streak is the longest in the ACC and 8^th longest in the NCAA.
-The Cavaliers’ 79 doubles are the third most in the country.
-Virginia ranks in the top-3 in the ACC in doubles (1^st), triples (2^nd) and home runs (T-3^rd).
-Virginia has hit a home run in eight of its last nine ACC games

Game Notes
Midweek Run-Rule: In the final regular season home game at The Park, Virginia came away with an 8-0 victory in five innings against George Washington. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 7-0 lead over the three innings and won the game in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out, walk-off double by Danni Ingraham that scored pinch-runner Tia Mitchell.

Century Mark: Head Coach Joanna Hardin recorded her 100^th career victory in Wednesday’s non-conference tilt against George Washington. The first-year skipper has led the Cavaliers to their first 20-win season since 2013. She won 79 games in two seasons at McNeese State before beginning her post Charlottesville.

Postseason Implications: Currently Virginia (8-13 ACC) sits alone in eighth place and controls its own destiny for clinching its first postseason berth since 2013. The Cavaliers will need a better conference winning percentage than Georgia Tech (6-15 ACC), Pittsburgh (6-15 ACC) and Virginia Tech (5-16 ACC) at the conclusion of the ACC regular season on May 7.

Early and Often: Some of the Cavaliers recent success can be attributed to their early game run production. Virginia has scored in the first inning in four of the last five games and boasts an 11-5 record this season when scoring first.

60-Hit Club: Senior Katie Park’s double in the bottom of the first inning on Wednesday (April 26) was her 60^th hit of the season. She and teammate Kaitlin Fitzgerald (62 in 2015) are the only two Cavaliers to reach 60 hits since 2008.

Hits in Bunches: In the last five games, Park is batting .619 (13-for-21) with nine runs scored, two home runs and four RBIs. She is in the midst of a career-best, nine-game hit streak and has reached base safely in the last 11 games. She currently leads the team with a .378 batting average and 20 multi-hit games.

Hughes Milestone: Aside from a 2-for-2 effort at the plate, senior Iyana Hughes stole the 39^th base of her career in Wednesday’s victory over George Washington. She moved into a tie with Gigi Grover (1980-83) for 10^th place all time on Virginia’s career stolen base list.