Softball: Bigham, Hoos record 6-0 shutout to take series over Cardinals

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Eden Bigham tossed a complete-game shutout and the senior class came through as part of a big sixth inning on Saturday to help No. 25 Virginia to a 6-0 victory over Louisville at Palmer Park.

With the win, Virginia (33-14, 13-8 ACC) claimed the weekend series over the Cardinals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Jade Hylton got things started with a leadoff home run off the scoreboard in left to put Virginia up 1-0 after the first.

Bella Cabral doubled the lead in the sixth with a solo shot down the left field line that settled in the home bullpen. After singles from Macee Eaton and Sydney Hartgrove put runners at the corners, Reece Holbrook drove a ball to center to take the lead out to 3-0. Two batters later and with the bases loaded, Kailyn Jones drove a single back up the middle to take the lead to 5-0. Virginia again loaded the bases when Hylton was walked before Kelly Ayer’s sac fly made it a 6-0 lead.

Bigham and the Hoos shut things down in the seventh to take the series from the Cardinals (23-20, 6-12).

Bigham (14-7) tossed the complete-game shutout, allowing only two hits with four walks and six strikeouts in the outing.

Alyssa Zabala (8-8) took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits with two walks in her 5.0 innings of work.

BOX SCORE

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Jade Hylton’s home run in the first inning was her 15th of the year and tied the single-season home run record at UVA as Hylton matched Lacy Smith’s mark set in 2019.
• With home runs from Hylton and Cabral, the Cavaliers have set the single-season record for home runs at Virginia (57) and passed the previous mark of 55 set by the 2015 team with Hylton’s first-inning home run.
• The shutout was the third complete-game shutout of the season for Eden Bigham and 15th of her career.
• The series win over Louisville marks the first over the Cardinals by the Cavaliers in program history.

The Hoos have a new single-season home run record!#GoHoos | #HoosNext pic.twitter.com/h4cqjrxpq0

— Virginia Softball (@UVASoftball) April 19, 2025

FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN

“We saw high execution and some loud outs today. These are the days when you’re doing everything right, the plan is executed and  we were hitting balls right at people and we just had to stick with it. Sometimes the game pays you back immediately, and sometimes it doesn’t. The sixth inning was a testament to sticking with the plan and passing the bat.  That’s selfless, team-winning softball to keep moving the needle. We played clean defensively, and that’s important for us, and Eden obviously threw a gem – it’s tough to throw 13 straight innings against a team and I’m proud of her for her execution.

“I’m really proud of our seniors. Every one of them contributed to the win today in some way. You don’t always get the opportunity for that kind of an ending to ACC play at home. I’m grateful for what this class has invested and has given to our program. Every class continues to give more and elevate the program. There’s a reason this is the first class (since a stretch from 2000-06) to have four winning seasons under the belts since they’ve arrived and they’ve brought a ton of joy to this program. I’m proud of them for staying the course and staying loyal to finishing what they started.”

UP NEXT

Virginia returns to the road for a midweek contest at JMU on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.