Virginia Softball Goes 3-2 at Tennessee Invitational

The Cavaliers went 3-2 in five games in Knoxville, with their only losses coming against No. 17 Tennessee

Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics Communications

Virginia softball traveled to Knoxville this weekend to participate in the Tennessee Invitational and finished with a 3-2 record, with their only losses coming against No. 17 Tennessee. 

Friday (3/4): Virginia 6, South Alabama 4

Small ball helped Virginia take a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Lauren VanAssche led things off with a bunt single and Sarah Coon singled to left field. Leah Boggs laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position, but the Jaguars committed an error so the Cavaliers earned a run. Finally Katie Goldberg and Abby Weaver had RBI groundouts.

South Alabama got one run back in the fourth on an Abby Allen solo homer. In the top of the sixth, a bases loaded walk and a two-RBI double helped the Jaguars take a 4-3 lead.

Leah Boggs responded in the bottom of the sixth with a game-tying solo homer, which set the stage for Tori Gilbert. After Gabby Baylog walked, Gilbert came in as a pinch hitter with one out and blasted a walk-off two-run home run to give the Hoos the 6-4 victory.

Mikayla Houge pitched 5.1 innings of one-run ball before allowing the three-run sixth inning. Savanah Henley replaced her and earned the win in a scoreless relief appearance. Jenna Hardy took the loss in a complete game effort for South Alabama.

Friday (3/4): Tennessee 7, Virginia 5

Following the momentum of the walk-off win, the Cavaliers took on the host of the tournament, No. 17 Tennessee.

Leah Boggs started things off with a solo homer in the top of the first, her second round-tripper of the day. Tennessee responded with an Amanda Ayala RBI double and a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning to take a 2-1 lead.

The top of the second featured three runs as Bailey Winscott checked in with an RBI single after a ten-pitch at bat, Sarah Coon was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Leah Boggs had an RBI groundout.

From there, the Lady Vols proved why they are the 17th-ranked team in the nation, scoring five unanswered runs. Zaida Puni hit a solo home run and Amanda Ayala drove in two runs with her second RBI double and then proceeded to score on a triple from Rylie West.

Gabby Baylog hit a home run in the top of the sixth to make it 7-5, but the Cavaliers could not produce any more runs to close the gap and this would be the final score. Savanah Henley gave up five runs in the loss while Erin Edmoundson earned the win for Tennessee. Boggs and Baylog paced the Cavaliers on offense with two hits apiece.

Saturday (3/5): Virginia 3, Dartmouth 0

Aly Rayle pitched six scoreless innings in the win and Madison Harris earned the save for the Cavaliers in the Saturday morning contest. Rayle racked up nine strikeouts and only allowed one hit in a dominant performance.

Virginia only had four hits, but made them count. Donna Friedman hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning and Lauren VanAssche hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh to give the Cavaliers some breathing room.

Dartmouth had two hits in the bottom of the seventh and had runners on second and third with one out, so VanAssche's two-run homer proved helpful, but Madison Harris regained control and got the final two outs.

Saturday (3/5): Virginia 5, South Alabama 3

The tournament switched into bracket play by Saturday afternoon, and the Cavaliers took advantage of the higher stakes by beating South Alabama for the second time this weekend.

In the bottom of the first, Leah Boggs continued her red-hot streak by hitting a two-run homer, her third of the weekend. The home run party continued in the third inning as Katie Goldberg, Tori Gilbert, and Gabby Baylog hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in an offensive showcase. Virginia only had six hits in the contest, but four were home runs and one was a double.

South Alabama put up two runs in the sixth off of an RBI groundout and a solo homer for Amanda Allen, and then Emma Kropp delivered a home run in the seventh. However, the five run lead proved to be enough for the Cavaliers, who held on for the 5-3 win and advanced to the final. 

Mikayla Houge earned her sixth win of the season with 5.2 innings pitched, and Mackenzie Wooten earned the save. 

Sunday (3/6): Tennessee 5, Virginia 0

In the final game of the tournament, Virginia fell to Tennessee for a second time. Ivy Davis hit an RBI single in the second inning to get the Vols on the board. The real damage happened when Lair Beautae hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning, and then Kiki Milloy hit a solo home run right after to make it 5-0. 

Erin Edmoundson improved her record to 9-1 for Tennessee after earning the win, and Mikayla Houge took the loss. Arizona Ritchie paced the Cavaliers with two hits.

UVA competed well with the Lady Vols in both matchups, but could not produce enough offensively to keep up in the second game. 

Virginia, now 12-9 on the season, will finally play its first home game of the season as the Cavaliers host Maryland on Tuesday at 5:30pm at Palmer Park. 

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