Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The No. 24 Virginia softball team used three home runs, including a grand slam by Alex Call, to power past Indiana in an elimination game Saturday at the NCAA Knoxville Regional.
With the win, the Cavaliers will now face host Tennessee (44-10) at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the regional championship game (ESPN2). It is a rematch of Saturday’s first game of the day between Virginia and the Lady Vols that was won 7-5 by Tennessee. Should the Wahoos prevail Sunday afternoon, they would turn around and face the Lady Vols again at approximately 4:30.
GAME 5: VIRGINIA 9, INDIANA 7
The Cavaliers (40-14) struck first in this matchup with a three-run first inning. After Jade Hylton walked to open the game, she stole second and scored on a double to left from Bella Cabral. Reagan Hickey then homered to right center for Virginia to take the lead to 3-0.
Indiana (43-16) quickly tied it, scoring on a throwing error off a fielder’s choice before a two-run home run knotted things at 3-3 with one out in the first.
Virginia vaulted back in front in the third with a grand slam from Alex Call, but Indiana pushed three runs home in the home half to cut the lead to one.
If you want even more award-winning coverage on the UVA athletics department, including its nationally-ranked football and basketball programs, be sure to subscribe to “Cavalier Exclusive” to follow all of Virginia Sports Hall Of Famer Jerry “Hootie” Ratcliffe’s analysis and content. It’s the best in the business for Wahoo Fans!
The Hoosiers tied things up in the fourth with a run on a fielding error at second on a pop up, but Virginia moved back in front in the fifth with a two-run home run from Madison Greene that put the Hoos up 9-7.
“There are not a lot of words left at this point of the weekend and day,” said UVA coach Joanna Hardin. “They’ve shown resilience, fight and competitive greatness. It’s fun to see them compete the way they are right now. I love that I get to coach this team and love we get to fight to see another day together. I think they really want to extend their season and play as long as they can together. You see it in how they attack offensively and defensively.”
Eden Bigham (15-5) picked up the win, working 2.1 innings in relief with one unearned run allowed on two hits with one strikeout. Taylor Smith picked up her first save, working the final 1.2 innings and striking out two batters.
Brooke Mannon (7-5) took the loss, allowing two runs on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts through 4.1 innings of relief work.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Virginia hit the 40-win mark for the first time since the 2002 season when the Cavaliers won 45 games.
- Call’s grand slam in the third inning was her second of the season and seven of her eight home runs this season have come with runners on base.
- Virginia set a new single-season mark for home runs with 71 this season, breaking the previous best mark of 69 set a year ago.
GAME 3: TENNESSEE 7, VIRGINIA 5
Virginia got home runs from Macee Eaton and Call to pull within one in the sixth inning, but a big early deficit was too much to overcome as the Cavaliers fell to Tennessee by a score of 7-5 in Saturday’s first game.
Tennessee got on the board in the first inning, pushing five runs home to take the early lead on the Hoos. An error on the opening batter opened the door as Tennessee used back-to-back hits to push the first two runs home. Three free bases in the next four batters helped the Lady Vols string together the big inning for a 5-0 lead after the first.
The Cavaliers cut into the lead in the third with a three-run home run from Eaton. Kassidy Hudson was hit by a pitch and Jaiden Griffith singled to put two runners on for Eaton. The junior drilled a 2-0 offering deep to right to make it a 5-3 lead for the home team.
Tennessee answered with a solo home run in the home half to leave the score at 6-3 after three complete.
Virginia pulled back within one in the sixth off a two-run home run from Call. The ball driven over the wall in center scored Hannah Weismer who had reached on a walk in the previous at bat. Once again, Tennessee answered with a solo shot in the bottom of the inning to take the lead back to two at 7-5.
The lead would hold as Tennessee picked up the victory to advance to the regional championship game.
Bigham (14-5) took the loss for the Cavaliers, allowing five runs – three earned – on three hits with two walks in 0.1 innings of work in the start. Smith worked the final 5.2 and allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts.
Sage Mardjetko (13-2) picked up the win, allowing three runs on three hits with six strikeouts through 4.0 innings of work. Karlyn Pickens picked up her sixth save, working the final 3.0 innings with two runs allowed on two hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Eaton set a new single-season RBI record with her three-RBI shot, bringing her season total to 65 and passing her own record mark of 63 RBI from the 2025 season.
- Call’s home run in the sixth inning was her seventh of the season and sixth multiple-run homer.
KNOXVILLE REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday
Game 1: Tennessee 3, Northern Kentucky 1
Game 2: Virginia 8, Indiana 7 (8 innings)
Saturday
Game 3: Tennessee 7, Virginia 5
Game 4: Indiana 8, Northern Kentucky 0 (5 innings)
Game 5: Virginia 9, Indiana 7
Sunday
Game 6: Tennessee vs. Virginia, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 7: Tennessee vs. Virginia, 4:30 p.m. — If Necessary (TV TBD)
The Hoos advance to the championship game at the Knoxville Regional!#GoHoos | #4for40 | #PeopleMakeThePlace pic.twitter.com/J1Hw93O0ej
— Virginia Softball (@UVASoftball) May 17, 2026
If you want even more award-winning coverage on the UVA athletics department, including its nationally-ranked football and basketball programs, be sure to subscribe to “Cavalier Exclusive” to follow all of Virginia Sports Hall Of Famer Jerry “Hootie” Ratcliffe’s analysis and content. It’s the best in the business for Wahoo Fans!
