April 22, 2012

The Virginia softball team (21-23, 6-12 ACC) was edged by Virginia Tech 4-3 Sunday in the series finale at Tech Softball Park. The Hokies won the series two games to one.

The Cavaliers outhit Virginia Tech 10-8 for the contest and were led at the plate by junior Taylor Williams who was 3-for-4 with three singles. Senior Alexa Martinez also tallied a single and a double.

All seven runs were scored in the fourth inning. The Cavaliers strung together four hits and capitalized on a Hokie error to take a 3-0 lead in the top half of inning. Sophomore Erica Cipolloni led off the stanza with a single up the middle. The next batter, junior Alex Skinkis, reached on a sacrifice bunt when the Hokies committed a fielding error. With two runners on, sophomore Marcy Bowdren singled up the middle that allowed junior Lauren Didlake to score after she had come on to pinch run for Cipolloni. Then with two outs, Martinez ripped a double to center to score both Skinkis and Bowdren.

Virginia Tech responded in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by two home runs, to go up 4-3. Courtney Liddle led off with a single and scored on Kelsey Mericka’s two-run homer to left center. The next hitter, Betty Rose, homered to left to tie the game. Logan Spaw followed with a double to right center and came home after a sacrifice bunt and RBI sacrifice flyout from Kat Banks.

The Cavaliers left a runner on in the fifth and went 1-2-3 in the sixth. In the seventh, two singles from Williams and Cipolloni put two runners on, but Skinkis grounded out to end the game.

Junior Melanie Mitchell took the loss after giving up four earned runs in the fourth. She tallied four strikeouts and a walk in the complete game outing. Virginia Tech’s Jasmin Harrell picked up the win. She allowed just one earned run and struck out eight.

Virginia will play host to in-state foe Liberty at 5 p.m. Wednesday in a doubleheader at The Park.