FARMVILLE, Va. – The No. 24 Virginia softball team picked up a pair of wins on Saturday (Feb. 14) with wins over Longwood (1-7) and Toledo (1-7) at the Longwood Invitational.
No. 24 VIRGINIA 3, LONGWOOD 0
Virginia got on the board in the first inning with an RBI from Bella Cabral that scored Kassidy Hudson from third. Hudson walked to reach and promptly stole second. She took third on an infield hit to second from Macee Eaton to set up the score on the groundout to short from Cabral and put the Hoos up 1-0.
With the bases loaded in the fifth, Cabral brought in another run with a walk to make it a 2-0 lead for Virginia and keep the bases loaded with Hoos.
Virginia added a third run in the seventh inning with a solo shot to left field from Eaton.
Eden Bigham (2-0) picked up the win in relief, working 2.0 innings and allowing one hit with two walks and a strikeout. Courtney Layne picked up the save, closing out the final 2.0 innings with three strikeouts.
Maggie Chapin (1-4) took the loss for Longwood, allowing three runs on seven hits with five walks and four strikeouts.
No. 24 VIRGINIA 8, TOLEDO 0
Virginia got a pair of solo home runs from Jade Hylton and Bella Cabral to grab the lead in the first inning against Toledo.
Hylton extended the lead to 3-0 with a sac fly to center field in the fourth inning, bringing Hannah Tober home from third. Tober reached on a walk and advanced to second when Reagan Hickey was walked. A sac bunt from Jaiden Griffith moved them both into scoring position for the Hylton at bat.
Virginia added three more runs in the seventh with a three-run shot to left from Kesley Hackett. The two-out home run brought home Kamyria Woody-Giggetts and Cabral. Two batters later, Reagan Hickey launched one over the wall in left to make it an 8-0 lead for the Cavaliers.
Courtney Layne (3-0) picked up the relief win, working 4.2 innings with three strikeouts and allowing only one hit. She entered in the third in relief of starter Taylor Smith who worked 2.1 innings in the start.
Reese Poston (0-2) took the loss as she allowed the eight runs on 11 hits with six walks and a strikeout through 6.2 innings of work.
NOTING THE HOOS
- Courtney Layne worked 6.2 scoreless innings across the two games to pick up a win and a save.
- Macee Eaton went 3-for-4 against Longwood and hit her third of the season and now has a team-leading 10 RBI on the year.
- Jade Hylton hit her second home run of the season and has seven RBI on the season through eight games.
- Bella Cabral was 3-for-5 with three RBI, three walks and a home run on the afternoon.
- Virginia hit four home runs against Toledo, the most in a game this season and the first time UVA has hit four home runs in a game since four against Boston College (3/15/25) last season.
- The Cavaliers have posted three consecutive shutouts and scored 31 runs in the last three games.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“Our pitching staff was phenomenal. They complemented each other very well, attacked the zone exceptionally and they’ve been doing that throughout the fall and spring training. It’s rewarding to see that play out on the field. Coach Allred-Stoker has done a phenomenal job with Coach (Dee Dee) Hernandez preparing them and calling a great games through the first eight games. Offensively, we came out and opened things up in the seventh inning against Toledo. That’s what we’re capable of. We’ve played some tight games and done enough to get some wins. We got the hits when we needed them, but I’d like to see us make adjustments earlier and be really intentional about what we’re trying to do at the plate. Overall, it was a gritty day and we’re glad to get two wins.”
UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
With Sunday (Feb. 15) action at the Longwood Invitational canceled due to expected inclement weather, the Cavaliers are slated to return to action at home next weekend with the Mizuno Classic. Play is set to begin with a doubleheader against Maryland on Thursday (Feb. 19) at 3 p.m.