The Virginia softball team advanced to the NCAA Knoxville Regional championship game after defeating Indiana on May 16. The Cavaliers won the elimination game with a score powered by three home runs, including a grand slam from Alex Call.
This victory means Virginia will face host Tennessee at 2 p.m. Sunday in a rematch of Saturday’s earlier game, which Tennessee won 7-5. The stakes are high as both teams compete for a spot beyond the regional round.
In the opening inning, Virginia took an early lead when Jade Hylton walked, stole second base, and scored on Bella Cabral’s double. Reagan Hickey followed with a home run to right center, giving Virginia a 3-0 advantage. Indiana responded quickly and tied the game in their half of the first inning through an error and a two-run homer.
Alex Call’s grand slam in the third inning put Virginia ahead again, but Indiana narrowed the gap by scoring three runs in their half of that frame. After another tie following an error in the fourth inning, Madison Greene hit a two-run home run for Virginia in the fifth to reclaim and hold onto their lead.
Eden Bigham earned her fifteenth win of the season by pitching over two innings of relief and allowing only one unearned run. Taylor Smith recorded her first save by closing out the final innings with two strikeouts. Brooke Mannon took the loss for Indiana after pitching more than four innings in relief.
Virginia reached its first 40-win season since 2002 and set new single-season records for total home runs at seventy-one this year. Alex Call’s grand slam was her second this season; seven out of her eight homers have come with runners on base.
“There are not a lot of words left at this point of the weekend and day,” Head Coach Joanna Hardin said. “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.”
Looking ahead, Virginia will attempt to extend its postseason run against Tennessee as both teams vie for advancement.
