Virginia Powers Past Penn, Delaware On Sunday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Home runs were big for the Cavaliers on Sunday (Feb. 23) as Virginia (9-5) hit four home runs on the day to pick up wins over Penn (1-5) and Delaware (4-5). The Hoos defeated Penn 3-0 before taking an 11-2 win over Delaware in six innings.

GAME 1
VIRGINIA 3, PENN 0
Jade Hylton got the scoring started for Virginia with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first. The inside-the-park home run came off a ball she drove to right that hit the wall and caromed back into the field of play past the right fielder, allowing Hylton to sprint around the bases for the score.

The Hoos doubled the lead in the fifth inning off a sac fly to right from Hylton. Kailyn Jones reached on a triple with one out before coming home in the next at bat off the fly ball from Hylton. A sac fly from Kelsey Hackett in the sixth made it a 3-0 lead for the Hoos as pinch runner Kamyria Woody-Giggetts scored on the play.

Ava Hodges (1-1) picked up the win, working 5.0 innings and scattering three hits while walking one and striking out four. Courtney Layne picked up the save, working the final 2.0 innings after entering the game in the sixth with Virginia up 2-0.

Ainsley Pemberton (1-2) took the loss, allowing the three runs on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

GAME 2
VIRGINIA 11, DELAWARE 2 (6 Innings)
Virginia struck first for the second time on the afternoon, pushing four runs home in the first. The first two batters reached before Macee Eaton delivered a chopper down the first base line that brought Jade Hylton home and left runners at the corners. MC Eaton homered to right field in the next at bat with her three-RBI shot putting Virginia on top 4-0.

Delaware responded in the second, putting the first two batters on before Chloe Blantz singled through the left side to bring a run home. The Blue Hens loaded the bases from there, but Eden Bigham struck out back-to-back batters to get the Hoos out of the inning.

Bella Cabral delivered the Hoos’ second home run of the game in the third inning with a solo shot into the bullpen in left field to make it 5-1 for the home team.

Delaware’s Blantz answered with her own solo shot in the fourth to cut the lead back to three runs at 5-2.

Virginia put together another four-run inning in the fifth. Hylton tripled to start the frame and came home on a groundout from Kelly Ayer. Cabral then hit a rocket down the third base line to get on and was replaced on the basepath by Kamyria Woody-Giggets. Woody-Giggetts stole second and scored on a double to right center from Macee Eaton to make it 7-2. A groundout from Sarah Coon and a wild pitch brought the final two runs of the inning across and Virginia lead 9-2 after five complete.

The sixth inning saw Cabral deliver her second home run of the game with a two-run shot to left center to end the game. Freshman Maddy Greene scored on the play after leading off the inning with a double.

Eden Bigham (2-3) picked up the win with the complete-game effort. She allowed the two runs on three hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

Morgan Hess (0-2) took the loss for the Blue Hens as she allowed the four runs in the first inning on three hits with a walk.

NOTING THE HOOS
• Jade Hylton’s home run vs. Penn was her second career inside-the-park home run. Her last inside-the park home run came against St. Thomas (2/18/24) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, last season.
• Hylton’s home run was also the first to lead off a game since she did it last season at Longwood (3/5/24).
• Ava Hodges struck out a career-high four batters in picking up her first career win.
• Bella Cabral notched her second career multiple home run game and first of the season. Her other multiple home run game came at Longwood (3/5/24).
• Cabral leads the team with four home runs this season and has hit three this weekend.
• Courtney Layne’s save was the first of her career as she closed out the day’s first game against Penn.
• MC Eaton’s home run was her second of the season and both are multiple RBI home runs. It tied her career high with three RBI in the game.

FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“We talked between game one and two today about quality at bats and quality at bats with runners in scoring position. We really wanted to see our team increase the quality of each at bat, but especially in key situations. Reece Holbrook was an example of that with a 12-pitch at bat and we were able to extend their pitchers and get to their fourth pitcher. Ava Hodges threw a gem in game one and Eden Bigham in game two continues to just always give us a chance to get the job done. Bella Cabral just had a day and is seeing beach balls out there. We have tough one on Monday with Longwood, which is another tough and scrappy team. We know they are going to bring it and I really want to see what we did today carry over.”

UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia returns to action on Monday (Feb. 24) when the Cavaliers will close out the Mizuno Classic against Longwood. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. at Palmer Park.