Virginia Opens Series With 9-2 Win At Notre Dame

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Virginia (25-10, 8-5 ACC) used a big day at the plate, including a 2-for-4 performance with four RBI from Jade Hylton, to grab a 9-2 win at Notre Dame (21-13, 6-7 ACC) in the series opener on Friday (April 5).

HOW IT HAPPENED
Hylton got the Cavaliers on the board in the second inning, coming to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs to deliver a bases-clearing triple to right field. Shelby Barbee, Kelsey Hackett and Lauren VanAssche scored on the play after stringing together consecutive singles to load the bases with one out.

Notre Dame answered in the bottom of the second with a two-out RBI double from Anna Holloway that scored Jane Kronenberger from second. Kronenberger walked and moved to second on a wild pitch before the Holloway hit got caught in the swirling wind and carried for the double.

Virginia put together another three-run inning in the third after loading the bases for the second straight inning. Lauren VanAssche drew the bases-loaded walk to start the scoring and send Notre Dame two its bullpen. Leah Boggs welcomed the new pitcher with a two-RBI single driven back up the middle on the first pitch and the lead grew to 6-1 for the Hoos.

Bella Cabral delivered a two-run shot to left in the fifth that pushed Virginia out to an 8-1 lead.

A sac fly in the fifth from the Irish pushed a second run home for the Irish, but a lineout to second ended the inning with no more damage and the Hoos led 8-2.

Virginia added a ninth run in the seventh inning on an RBI double to left from Hylton that scored Hackett from second.

Eden Bigham (10-6) picked up the relief win, entering to start the third inning and allowed one run on two hits with five strikeouts and a walk in 5.0 innings of work. Mikayla Houge started the game and worked the first 2.0 innings, allowing the one run on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts.

Alexis Laudenslager (9-5) took the loss for the Irish, allowing six runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 2.2 innings in the circle. She was one of three Notre Dame pitchers used in the game.

NOTES ON THE GAME

• With the win, Virginia has now won 10 of its last 11 games dating back to March 16 against Syracuse.
• Bella Cabral’s two-run home run in the fifth inning was the freshman’s fourth home run of the season.
• Every Cavalier in the lineup got a hit in the outing with Cabral’s home run in the fifth being the last starter to get into the hit column for the Hoos.

FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“We’re very motivated and very focused. We knew coming in that the wind would be a factor, the sun angles and the travel would be tough. We were really clear that our key was eliminating things outside elements that had nothing to do with softball and we did that well. We got great production top to bottom at the plate and we’ve been gelling. Mikayla Houge and Eden Bigham are great complementary pieces to each other, and we really like that. Everyone knows their role and we’re playing that to the best of our ability. We know Notre Dame is going to come out fighting tomorrow and we have to do the same from the beginning through 21 outs tomorrow.”

UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia and Notre Dame continue the series with game two at 1 p.m. on Saturday (April 6).