Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Freshman Taylor Smith threw a no-hitter, and the Cavaliers got a home run from Bella Cabral and a grand slam from Alex Call to lift No. 23 Virginia to an 8-0 victory over NC State at Palmer Park on Saturday.
With the victory, the Cavaliers locked up the weekend series with the Wolfpack.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cavaliers (35-12, 12-10 ACC) got on the board in the first inning with a two-run home run from Cabral. Macee Eaton scored on the play after reaching on a walk in the previous at bat.
Virginia extended the lead in the third inning, plating five runs. It started with an RBI single from Reagan Hickey after Eaton and Cabral opened the frame with back-to-back walks. Eaton scored on the ball driven down the left field line by Hickey.
The Cavaliers went on to load the bases before Call delivered her shot to left on a 2-2 offering to make it a 7-0 lead over the Wolfpack (25-22, 6-13).
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 Hoos walked it off in the fifth with a single through the left side from Hannah Weismer that brought Kelsey Hackett home from second.
Taylor Smith (6-1) picked up the win with the no-hitter, striking out three and walking three in the outing.
Morgen Talley (12-8) took the loss, allowing the four runs on one hit with five walks and two strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Taylor Smith’s no-hitter was the first of her collegiate career and the first by a Virginia pitcher since Eden Bigham’s perfect game against Hofstra (3/1/25).
- Alex Call’s grand slam was the first of her collegiate career and was her sixth home run of the season.
- With the win, Virginia has won five of its eight ACC series this season.
- Bella Cabral’s home run was her team-leading 12th of the season and the 28th of her career.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“Taylor got us going there by wiggling out of that jam in the first inning, then settled in and got her groove. She was executing on both sides of the plate and was super competitive – that was the key. She wants the ball and wants to compete. It was great to see her building all year to culminate in that outing today. She had a great defense behind her and we feed off the circle. On the offensive side we were attacking aggressively. Our goal was to score early and often. We took advantage of free passes and were able to push runs home. We’ve been in attack mode at the plate all weekend.”
UP NEXT
Virginia and NC State close out the series at noon on Sunday. It is Senior Day for the Hoos and the Cavaliers will honor five seniors after the game. Admission to all Virginia regular-season softball games is free.
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!
