Virginia drops series finale at Louisville, 9-4

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia softball team (27-23, 13-11 ACC) rallied in the third to tie the game, but couldn’t hold off Louisville (26-21, 10-11 ACC) down the stretch as the Cardinals grabbed the series finale on Sunday by a score of 9-4.

Louisville scored in the first with a home run from the Cardinals’ leadoff hitter. The Louisville lead grew to 3-0 after a two-RBI double with two outs sent the Cavaliers to the bullpen.

Virginia tied things up in the fourth, using a two-RBI double from Emma McBride to get on the board before Arizona Ritchie would drive her in with a single to left.

Louisville moved back in front with an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth that sent the Cavaliers to the bullpen for a second time. The new Virginia pitcher was then welcomed to the game with a three-run home run to take the lead out to 7-3.

The Cardinals pushed home an additional two runs in the sixth, but Virginia would answer with a single run in the seventh on a Gabby Baylog double for the final 9-4 score.

Mackenzie Wooten (4-1) took the loss in relief, allowing three runs on two hits with a walk in 3.0 innings of work.

Taja Felder (2-3) picked up the win for Louisville, allowing one run on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts. She worked in 3.1 innings in relief.

NOTES ON THE GAME

• UVA finishes ACC play with a record of 13-11 which ties for the most ACC wins in a season with the 2010 team.

• Katie Goldberg finished the series 6-for-9 (.667) with two doubles, a triple and a home run and three walks.

FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN

“We didn’t get the outcome we hoped for today, but we received a ton of feedback on our execution both offensively and in the circle. Our team always tries hard and puts their best effort into each game. That’s a non-negotiable for our program and the team holds themselves to that standard.”

“Overall I thought Katie Goldberg had a quality weekend at the plate and really led the charge offensively. The bottom of our lineup really stepped up most of the weekend with quality at bats and some timely hits as we saw today with Emma McBride’s two-out double to drive in two runs and Arizona Ritchie’s two-out RBI single to follow. Bailey (Winscott’s) on base percentage was extremely high and she was excellent at extending at bats all weekend to flip the lineup over.”

“The work for us doesn’t stop. We accomplished one goal of being over .500 this season and have an opportunity to accomplish our second goal of making the NCAA Tournament. Our team has put themselves in a position to hit two targets we put in front of us back in August. There’s some satisfaction in knowing we are in this position, however we have a deep desire to finish what we started, make a run at the ACC Tournament and qualify for the NCAA Tournament. It’s a huge step for our program and I’m really proud of how hard this team has worked for those goals. We know we have work to do. Our eyes are laser focused on our prize.”