Virginia Falls To No. 5 Texas A&M, San Diego State In Clearwater

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Virginia softball team (4-5) dropped a pair of games on Saturday (Feb. 15), falling in extra innings to No. 5 Texas A&M (9-1) by a score of 4-3 before dropping the second game of the twinbill to San Diego State (7-2) by a score of 6-2.

GAME 1
No. 5 TEXAS A&M 4, VIRGINIA 3 (8 Innings)
Virginia got off to a quick start again against the Aggies, plating a run in the first inning on a double to left field from Macee Eaton that scored Jade Hylton. Hylton led off with a walk and moved to second on a groundout from Kelly Ayer to get in position for the Macee Eaton hit.

The Cavaliers added to the lead with a Bella Cabral sac fly in the third that scored Ayer from third. Ayer reached on a fielding error and got to second on the play before stealing third.

Texas A&M cut the lead in half with a single run each in the fifth and sixth innings. The fifth inning run came on a bases-loaded sac fly, while the sixth inning run came on a Mya Perez single after Amari Harper doubled.

The Aggies took the lead in the eighth inning with the international tiebreak rule placing a runner on second to start the inning. A one-out double scored the runner from second to give Texas A&M its first lead of the game. A single put runners at the corners before a fielder’s choice with two outs saw the runner slide in safely at second as the run scored.

Virginia mounted a rally in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out Cabral double off the wall that just missed being a home run, but brought Kelsey Hackett home. The Cavaliers were unable to bring the tying run home, however, as Texas A&M got a strikeout to end the game.

Savanah Henley (2-1) took the loss in the complete-game effort. She struck out nine and allowed the four runs – three earned – on six hits. She only walked one in the outing.

Sidne Peters (3-0) picked up the win for Texas A&M as she allowed three runs – one earned – on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Kate Munnerlyn picked up her first save as she recorded the final out, coming into the game to face the final two batters after the Cabral double.

GAME 2
SAN DIEGO STATE 6, VIRGINIA 2
San Diego State struck first, plating a run in the second inning off a single through the left side after the leadoff batter reached to start the inning.

The Aztecs added to the lead in the fourth, capitalizing on a pair of Virginia miscues around to put together the rally and take the lead out to 5-0.

Virginia got on the board in the fifth inning with a double to right field  from M.C. Eaton that drove in Sydney Hartgrove who doubled in the at bat before her. San Diego State got the run back in the top of the sixth, using a leadoff double and a single to take the lead out to 6-1.

The Cavaliers scored the final run in the bottom of the seventh as M.C. Eaton tripled and then came home on an Alex Call single with two outs for the final 6-2 margin.

Ava Hodges (0-1) took the loss for the Cavaliers, allowing three runs on four hits with two strikeouts through 3.0 innings of work.

Cece Cellura (3-1) picked up the win in relief, working the final 4.0 innings and allowing the two runs on four this with two strikeouts.

NOTING THE HOOS
• Savanah Henley’s nine strikeouts against Texas A&M is the most in a Cavalier uniform. Her career high was 13 against Minnesota (4/3/21) as a freshman at Purdue.
• The 8.0 innings pitched by Henley was also a career-high in innings of work in an outing.

FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“I saw a ton of fight and a ton of grit. We’ve been seeing it all weekend and I’m really proud of that. We ran into a buzzsaw with San Diego State, but they’ve been playing really, really well. We had a couple of mistakes that were really costly. Overall, I’m super proud of the effort and fight. We knew this would be a tough weekend with intent (for it to be tough). You have to play the best to learn to be the best. As Coach Bennett always says you just have to keep knocking and doors are going to open. We’re excited and fortunate we get to go out and play UCLA, which is such a historic program, and get another battle to test us and prepare us for the ACC.”

UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia closes out the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational on Sunday (Feb. 16) when the Cavaliers face No. 4 UCLA on ACC Network. First pitch is set for 10 a.m.