Virginia Softball Goes 1-2 in First ACC Series Against Georgia Tech

The Cavaliers defeated the Yellow Jackets 3-0 on Saturday at Palmer Park to salvage the series

Last year, the Virginia softball team went 13-11 in ACC play, tying the program record for ACC wins that came in 2010. The Hoos came in sixth place out of 13 total teams, with the five teams above them ranked in the top 25. Joanna Hardin’s team is looking to build off of last season's conference showing and take a big step forward in 2023. 

After going 17-5 in non-conference play, the Virginia Cavaliers began ACC play this weekend at Palmer Park against Georgia Tech, a team that finished right below them in the ACC standings last year. Georgia Tech picked up the series win with the first two victories, but Virginia got its first ACC win of the season on Saturday afternoon to make it a 2-1 series loss.

Game 1 (Friday): Georgia Tech 5, Virginia 2

In the first contest, Georgia Tech pitchers Blake Neleman and Chandler Dennis held the Cavaliers to just two hits all game en route to the 5-2 win. Eden Bigham pitched 4.2 innings for Virginia, giving up four hits and four runs with seven strikeouts in the loss.

Georgia Tech got on the board in the top of the first with a double from Sara Beth Allen, scoring Emma Kauf. Virginia managed to take the lead in the bottom of the third as Jade Hylton beat out a ground ball to shortstop and Leah Boggs came around to score from second. However, that would be the last time a Cavalier would cross home plate. Georgia Tech put up four more runs, using two solo home runs and a two-run double to regain the lead and secure the series-opening win. 

Game 2 (Saturday): Georgia Tech 5, Virginia 2

A four-run sixth inning gave the Yellow Jackets a come from behind victory after UVA led 1-0 for most of the game. The Cavaliers scored on a triple from Lauren VanAssche in the bottom of the second. Molly Grube cruised for the first five innings, giving up just two hits, but then Georgia Tech put together three singles and a double to score four runs in the sixth inning.

Tori Gilbert hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to make it a two-run game, but Georgia Tech scored again in the seventh to solidify the victory and the series win, while Virginia's losing streak was extended to three games. 

Game 3 (Saturday): Virginia 3, Georgia Tech 0

Eden Bigham picked up her fifth win of the season in a complete game shutout in which she allowed just three hits. Bigham let the Cavalier defense work for her, inducing 13 groundouts as the sure-handed team didn’t make any errors.

On offense, the Cavaliers struck in the second, fourth, and fifth innings. Tori Gilbert hit her second home run of the day in the second to open the scoring. In the fourth inning, UVA’s speedy base runners stole an unearned run from Georgia Tech. Kelly Ayer singled and stole second, and then advanced to third on a throwing error off of a Kailyn Jones ground ball. Next, Jones stole second and the Yellowjackets catcher overthrew it, letting Ayer score. In the fifth inning, Kelly Ayer singled to bring home Sarah Coon for the team’s third run.

Kelly Ayer was 2 for 3 with one run and one RBI and Katie Goldberg was also 2 for 3.

Virginia ends this series at 18-7 (1-2 ACC) and Georgia Tech is 14-9 (2-1 ACC). Next up, the Cavaliers will travel to Clemson next weekend for another three-game ACC series. 

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