Hoos Rue Missed Opportunites in Palmer Park Finale

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Midnight was drawing near and shortstop Jade Hylton was emotionally wiped out after her final game at Palmer Park. But her college career isn’t over, and that lifted the spirits of the University of Virginia fourth-year, if only a little.

“I don't know if I'd be able to speak words right now if I didn't have another weekend,” Hylton said late Thursday night. “So that’s definitely giving us something to look forward to and go out and work towards.”

This marks the first time in program history that UVA has hosted the ACC softball tournament. The Cavaliers hoped to be playing for championship Saturday afternoon, but they couldn’t produce enough offense to make that goal a reality.

In the last of the quarterfinals Thursday, No. 3 seed Virginia Tech defeated No. 6 seed UVA 3-1 in a game that started at 8:30 p.m. and ended about 130 minutes later.

In its two games at Palmer Park this week—the first was a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday night—Virginia went 8 for 46 (.174) at the plate.

The three pitchers UVA used in those two games—seniors Eden Bigham and Courtney Layne and freshman Taylor Smith—did their parts, but the run support wasn’t there.

“To get to a [College] World Series, to get to a championship, you have to find a way to get a timely hit when you have bases loaded, when you have second and third with nobody out,” UVA head coach Joanna Hardin said Thursday. “So that is the next level for us, figuring out how to train them and how to put them in the position where they can come through in that moment.”

The Hokies (45-9) advance to meet No. 2 seed Duke (39-13) in the second ACC semifinal Friday at Palmer Park. For the Wahoos (38-13), the focus now is on preparing for the NCAA tournament.

The NCAA selection show is Sunday night, and Virginia is expected to be a No. 2 seed in a four-team regional for the third straight year. The Hoos went into the season, their 10^th under Hardin, hoping to host an NCAA regional for the first time, but their résumé won’t be strong enough. And that means the team’s five seniors—Hylton, Bigham, Layne, Kassidy Hudson and Kelsey Hackett—have played at Palmer Park for the last time.

“It's meant the world to me, all the highs and lows,” said Hylton, a four-year starter who holds the program record for career home runs.

“It's just been a great journey through here. The place is beautiful. We're so fortunate to be able to play in a facility like this and practice in a facility like this. And just the memories I've made with the people within the confines of Palmer Park, it's been a blessing that I could never even use words to describe.”

The 23^rd-ranked Hoos had their chances against the 13^th-ranked Hokies. In the top of the first inning, UVA had runners on second and third with none out but couldn’t push a run across. Tech’s ace, Emma Mazzarone, struck out junior Bella Cabral and redshirt freshman Reagan Hickey and then retired Hudson on a fly ball center.

“That was definitely a missed opportunity,” Hardin said.

In the top of seventh, trailing 3-0, Virginia loaded the bases with one out but came only with only one run, when Cabral drew a walk.

“You never know when the moment will be,” Hardin said. “It might be the first. It might be the seventh. For us today it was both. We had the first and the seventh ... We’ve just got to find a way to punch through that.”

Mazzarone, a junior left-hander, finished with 14 strikeouts. UVA’s pitchers weren’t as dominant Thursday night, but both threw well. Smith allowed only two hits in 3.1 innings, and Bigham retired the last seven batters she faced.

For the season, the Hokies are averaging 8.1 runs per game and have hit 101 home runs. In their four games against UVA—three of which they won—the Hokies totaled 16 runs and had no homers.

“My big takeaway is, our pitching staff is incredible,” Hardin said.

For Smith, a 5-foot-6 right-hander, it was the biggest start of her college career, and her poise “in this environment was phenomenal,” Hardin said. “She had nerves of steel and ice in her veins and just handled it like such a champion.”

A packed house under the lights ✨ pic.twitter.com/nUcFhT415y

— The ACC (@theACC) May 8, 2026

On an unseasonably cold night, the game drew a fantastic crowd, with both teams well represented in the stands and bleachers.

“This was electric here,” Hardin said. “Back and forth, the fans were phenomenal. This is a championship environment. This is what we want to be playing in. It's like Oklahoma City, right? You've got people all over you. That's the goal.”

The Hoos played without Hackett, who was on crutches Thursday night. She suffered a non-contact injury on the final play of UVA’s walk-off win over Pitt on Wednesday night.

“That’s [to be determined],” Hardin said when asked if Hackett, a starting outfielder, might be available for the NCAA tournament. “We’re still waiting on some results.”

The team met for about a half-hour after the game Thursday night. Her players shed a lot of tears in the locker room, Hardin said, especially the senior class.

“This place is really special,” Hardin said. “And so, yeah, you just feel it with them. And when you watch someone else celebrate on your own field, it hits a little bit deeper and it hits a little bit differently. And it's really important that we feel that and that it challenges us to change something. That’s what we told them, and we challenged them. And a lot of these young women will have more opportunities in their career with runners on base.”

The Cavaliers have Friday off, Hardin said. They’ll practice on Saturday and perhaps on Sunday too before watching the NCAA selection show as a team.

The postgame scene in the locker room, Hylton said, was “definitely a little emotional. Last game here in Palmer Park, so definitely feeling that right now. But  we’ve still got a lot of work to do. We’ve got a long week ahead and get to go play in a regional somewhere and fight for that championship. So just looking forward to that now.”

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