The return of rich warmth and sunshine to the skies of Charlottesville made for a beautiful afternoon gameday as the #15 Virginia Tech Hokies (31-9-1) softball team traveled to take on the Virginia Cavaliers (28-13) in the first of two installments of this year’s Commonwealth Clash softball series. The Cavaliers, who recently dropped from the national top 25 after making it in for the first time in 29 years, entered seeking a win that would bear enough weight to reclaim their ranking. Virginia Tech, generally respected as the powerhouse softball school in the state, has won 20 of the last 23 matchups between the schools, dating back to 2016. However, this matchup rallied attention as it is likely the most evenly-matched game between the two teams in the greater part of a decade.
The Cavaliers’ defense opened up strong, forcing a three-up, three-down top of the first inning on two groundouts and a lineout. In the bottom of the same inning, Virginia managed to get three different runners on base but still failed to score. This was as hot as the offense would get all night; in no other inning did they have more than one batter reach base. Meanwhile, early in the second inning, the Hokies’ bats broke loose. Right fielder Cori McMillian led with a solo home run deep into right field, putting Virginia Tech in the lead for the rest of the game. After the homer, third baseman Bre Peck singled on a hit up the middle and then moved to second on a subsequent wild pitch. After the next batter was walked without any outs to show, Cavalier pitcher Mikayla Houge was pulled in favor of Madison Harris, who handled the circle for the remainder of the outing. A fielding error in the next play loaded the bases, and a single by Hokie catcher Kylie Aldridge brought in another run, still with no outs. The Cavaliers eventually managed to work themselves out of the jam, but not before giving up two more runs after Addy Greene hit a blooper just over the shortstop that couldn’t be corralled.
Virginia Tech tacked on two more runs in the following inning on a Peck home run and Aldridge double, after which their offense cooled off, only tallying two hits and no runs the rest of the night. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers only recorded one more hit throughout the entire contest, which came on a fourth inning single by Kelly Ayer. The Hokies’ pitching dominated, with Emma Lemley throwing a complete game and recording eight strikeouts en route to her ninth win of the season from the rubber. The combined efforts of Peck (3-for-4, HR, 2 R) and Aldridge (2-for-3, 2 RBI) proved to be difference makers, while Virginia’s overall 2-for-23 batting performance left much to be desired. Still, holding one of the highest-powered offenses in college softball scoreless in five of the seven innings indicates that the Cavalier defense could be formidable if they eliminate mishaps and maintain composure in challenging situations such as the bases-loaded second inning.
UVA softball is back in action this weekend for a three-game away series in Durham, where they will face the #3-ranked Duke Blue Devils (37-4), the second-to-last series of the regular season. As the postseason approaches, the series should be an indicator of how the Cavalier ladies will be able to handle the pressure that comes alongside playing a powerhouse of the sport as they seek their first national tournament appearance since 2010. The Hokies will battle Georgia Tech at home over the weekend. Viewers will be able to catch the second leg of the Commonwealth Clash on Tuesday, April 23, in Blacksburg and televised on the ACC Network.
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