Virginia falls in series finale with Clemson

Posted on Sunday, Mar. 7, 2021, 6:42 pm

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Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Photo courtesy Virginia Athletics.

Virginia (6-9, 2-7 ACC) scored first for the third straight game against the Tigers, but Clemson (13-2, 8-2 ACC) rallied to take the victory and closed the series with an 8-1 win on Sunday at Palmer Park.

Mikayla Houge (Collins, Iowa) suffered the loss as she allowed three runs on four hits with a strikeout across her 2.1 innings of work. She is now 2-2 on the season. Virginia used five pitchers on the afternoon.

Valerie Cagle (8-1) picked up the victory for Clemson as she allowed the one unearned run on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts in the complete-game effort.

Virginia took the lead in the first inning with an RBI groundout from Donna Friedman (Orange, Calif.), but the Tigers responded in the third as a solo home run from the leadoff hitter sparked a three-run rally for Clemson.

Clemson extended the lead in the fourth, capitalizing on a Virginia error to plate two more runs and take the advantage out to 5-1. The Tigers would add three more runs in the seventh for the final margin of victory.

“I’m proud of how our team competed and fought this weekend,” UVA coach Joanna Hardin said. “We are learning every game what it takes to be a championship team. Our execution improved over the weekend, which is key as we continue moving into our ACC season. Our team chooses a growth mindset and I am confident that everyone in the program will show up tomorrow ready to work and prepare for our next game.”