Cavaliers Now

Bigham Blanks the Flames, Virginia Softball Picks Up 3-0 Win Over Liberty

The Cavaliers put up three runs in the sixth and avenged an earlier loss to the Flames with a shutout win on Tuesday night at Palmer Park

Matt Newton

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

A little over a month ago, the Flames put up six runs on nine hits against the UVA pitching staff and picked up a 6-2 victory over the Cavaliers in Lynchburg. In the rematch in Charlottesville, the Wahoos got their revenge and did so behind a phenomenal individual pitching performance. 

Eden Bigham tossed a complete-game shutout and, behind a pair of big-time home runs from Jade Hylton and Tori Gilbert in the sixth inning, the Virginia softball team picked up a 3-0 victory over Liberty on Tuesday night at Palmer Park. 

Both starters went the distance in a game that fulfilled the definition of a pitchers' duel. Liberty starter Paige Bachman faced a runner in scoring position in the first and third innings, but the Cavaliers couldn't convert on the scoring opportunities. Virginia starter Eden Bigham was even better, allowing just three baserunners through five innings. 

The game was decided in the sixth inning. In the top half, the Flames put two runners on with no outs as Bigham gave up a leadoff single followed by a walk. A stolen base made it first and third, but Bigham managed to retire three-straight batters in a row on pop outs to get out of the jam unscathed. 

Perhaps capitalizing on the momentum from Bigham's pitching heroics, the UVA bats came to life in the bottom half of the inning. Jade Hylton came up and sent a ball deep to center for a clutch solo home run, breaking the scoreless tie and giving Virginia the lead. 

Katie Goldberg drew a walk and then with two outs, Tori Gilbert took another pitch from Bachman to center field for a two-run home run, giving the Cavaliers some crucial insurance. 

The insurance turned out to be unnecessary as Bigham shut down the Flames in order in the seventh on just 12 pitches to secure the 3-0 win, her 11th victory of the season. Bigham, whose mother Katie Phillips Bigham had a legendary pitching career for the Liberty softball program and is member of the Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame, admitted after the game that beating Liberty meant a lot, but quickly added that earning a win against any team always means a lot to her. Bigham finished with a statline of zero earned runs on three hits and five strikeouts in seven innings of work. 

For UVA, this victory is a big one as the Cavaliers bounced back after losing two out of three to Virginia Tech over the weekend and and generated some crucial momentum as they hit the road this weekend for a challenging series against a top five opponent. Virginia (27-13) heads down to Tallahassee for a three-game series at No. 4 Florida State beginning on Friday at 6pm. 

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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