Bigham Strikes Out 10 In Shutout Of George Mason

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Junior right-hander Eden Bigham tossed a gem, striking out 10 batters and facing the minimum as No. 23 Virginia (22-7) shut out George Mason (10-17) with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday (March 18) at Palmer Park.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cavaliers broke the stalemate in the third inning with a Kelly Ayer single to center that scored Jade Hylton from second. Hylton drew a walk to reach and stole second to set up the score on the Ayer hit.

 

The one-run lead held down the stretch behind the arm of Bigham as the junior right-hander stymied the George Mason offense on the afternoon.

Bigham (7-3) picked up the win with a season-high 10 strikeouts in the complete game effort. Despite allowing the one hit and one walk, Bigham faced the minimum as both baserunners were erased from the base path.

 

Abbey Lane (3-4) took the loss in relief, allowing the one run on one hit with two walks in 2.0 innings of work. Lane entered to open the third inning in relief of starter Harlowe Nigh. The Patriots used three pitchers on the afternoon with each going 2.0 innings.

NOTING THE HOOS
• The 10 strikeouts from Bigham passes her previous season-high of nine set in her perfect game against Hofstra (3/1).
• With the win, Virginia has won six straight games and 18 of its last 20 contests.
• Macee Eaton extended her active hit streak to 16 straight games with her double in the first inning.
• Kelly Ayer drove in the game-winning run for the second straight game after also driving in the winning run in a 9-8 victory over Boston College on Saturday to close that series with the sweep.

FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“Eden threw a gem and threw it exceptionally well. I’m really proud of her effort. It’s tough to throw with a one-run lead and limited scoring. Offensively, we are much more capable than what we showed with quality at bats today. Tip your cap to George Mason for coming in with a great strategy and keeping us a little off balance. Coming into the weekend it will be important for us to stay focused on our plan and simplified approach. It’s good to get the win and I’m proud of what I saw from Eden. We’ll get some rest and get ready for Cal to come to town this weekend.”

UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia continues to play at home this weekend when the Cavaliers jump back into ACC play against California. The three-game series is set to begin on Friday (March 21) with a 5 p.m. first pitch. Saturday’s game two is set for 2 p.m., while the Sunday finale is set for 1 p.m.