Smith Leads Virginia to Saturday Split

Feb. 17, 2018

Box Score Game One | Box Score Game Two

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – Virginia earned a split in Saturday’s doubleheader as the Cavaliers downed George Mason 2-1 before falling to UNCG 3-2 to end the day.

Junior right-hander Lacy Smith (Lancaster, Pa.) struck out a career-high seven batters in a complete-game effort to guide Virginia (3-6) to a 2-1 victory over George Mason (1-2) in the first game of Saturday’s split doubleheader.

GAME ONE | VIRGINIA 2 – GEORGE MASON 1

Smith (2-2) settled in after surrendering a pair of hits in the first inning to carry a shutout into the seventh. After the pair of hits in the inning, she allowed just one other Patriot knock until the final frame.

A leadoff single for the Patriots was erased when Olivia Gott (Weston, Fla.) caught Meghan Graham attempting to swipe second. Two batters later, Liz Seymour doubled, but Smith notched her first punch out to finish the inning.

Smith’s career-high seven strikeouts shutdown the Patriots through the middle innings as the Hoos built a 2-0 advantage. George Mason managed to pull back a run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh and put two more runners in scoring position, setting up a wild finish.

With two outs and the runners aboard, Smith’s offering squirted away from Gott and the Patriot pinch-runner, Mary-Elizabeth Luttrell, took off from third. Gott recovered and flipped the ball to Smith, who applied the tag just in time for the final out and a 2-1 victory.

With Smith dealing in the circle, the Hoos scraped together just enough offensively to earn the win. Virginia had just three base hits, but sacrifice flies from Gott and Smith capitalized on scoring chances. Smith plated Allison Davis (Oak Hill, Va.), who walked to start the first, with a fly ball to right field.

Gott made it 2-0 Virginia in the third by lifting a deep fly ball to center to once again score Allison Davis, this time following a double, from third. Allison Davis, Gott and Smith produced the three hits for Virginia.

Smith’s complete-game performance was her first of the season and third of the junior’s career. She scattered five hits and allowed just the one run to lift the Cavaliers to victory.

Bekah Ansbro (0-1) took the loss for George Mason, allowing the two earned runs on three hits. She struck out four Cavaliers and issued just one walk.

GAME TWO | UNCG 3 – VIRGINIA 2

An early unearned run and a pair of missed opportunities late in the game proved costly in the nightcap for Virginia.

UNCG (6-2) struck first as the Spartans jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Back-to-back one-out singles put runners at first and second for the Spartan cleanup, who pulled a single of her own through the left side. The throw in squirted away, allowing an unearned run to score.

Tabby Dabney (Mechanicsville, Va.), making her first career start at Virginia, limited the damage by inducing back-to-back groundouts to end the frame.

Virginia answered back in the top of the second as Danni Ingraham broke through for her first home run of the season. The solo shot, Ingraham’s 25th of her Cavalier career, tied the first baseman for fourth all-time at UVA.

The Spartans reclaimed the lead with a solo home run of their own in the third. Third baseman and three-hole hitter Gabrielle Cubbage took a 1-0 pitch out to right for a 2-1 UNCG lead.

The see-saw affair continued in the fifth as Hayley Busby (Phoenix, Ariz.) tripled to right. Two batters later, Erika Osherow (Darien, Conn.) bounced a high chopper up the middle to score Busby and level the game at 2-2.

Once again, UNCG had the answer. A single and a double set the table for Rachael McClaskey to beat out a chopper up the middle for the two-out RBI. The run would prove to be the game winner.

The Hoos created chances to tie the game in both the sixth and seventh innings, but came away empty. Allison Davis singled to right with one out in the sixth and moved to third on Gott’s double to right field. A pop out and fly out ended the threat as the Hoos could not draw even.

In the seventh, Madi Traver (Coppell, Texas) pinch hit and drew a one-out walk. Molly Keshin (New Canaan, Conn.) pinch ran for Traver and moved to third on a single from Osherow to place the tying run 60-feet away with one out.

UNCG caught Keshin in no-man’s land on a ground ball back to the pitcher for the second out of the inning before a strikeout ended the game.

Dabney (0-1) took the loss in the circle after working five innings in her first start at UVA. The junior allowed three runs, two earned, on eight hits while striking out four in the loss. Osherow worked the final inning in relief and allowed just a single hit.

Alicia Bazonski (3-1) earned the victory for UNCG in a complete-game effort. The right-hander allowed two runs, both earned, on five hits.

UP NEXT

Virginia concludes play at the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational on Sunday (Feb. 18) with a 9 a.m. tilt against Eastern Michigan.