The University of Virginia softball team secured a 2-1 victory against the University of Pittsburgh in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament at Palmer Park, according to a May 7 announcement. The Cavaliers, seeded sixth, advanced after pinch-runner Kamyria Woody-Giggetts scored from second base on a throwing error in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The game marked an important moment for Virginia as it hosted its first-ever ACC tournament. UVA junior Macee Eaton, who tied the game with a two-out home run in the sixth inning, said, “With all the fans that showed up, the atmosphere, and it being a night game, the adrenaline was really high. Our whole team fed off all the energy in the stands.”
Senior right-hander Eden Bigham earned the win by striking out seven batters and allowing no walks during four innings of relief. Bigham said about playing at Palmer Park: “I’ve never heard Palmer this loud, so that was exciting. That maybe created some jitters, but good ones for sure.”
Virginia will next face No. 3 seed Virginia Tech on Thursday night in an ACC quarterfinal matchup. The Hokies are ranked No. 13 nationally while UVA holds No. 23; both teams have faced each other previously this season at Palmer Park with Tech winning two out of three games.
Head coach Joanna Hardin emphasized preparation for Thursday’s contest: “There’s no secrets between them and us,” Hardin said. “There’s no secrets with anyone on our path at this point that we could get. So I think it’s just about execution and going for it [Thursday night].” She also acknowledged her team’s resilience under postseason pressure: “It’s postseason, right? Everyone’s 0-0… There’s a different pride there… We just stayed in it the whole time.”
Hardin expressed gratitude towards Cavaliers’ supporters: “They were so invested… And so I’m super grateful for them, and we’re going to need them to show up [Thursday night]. I think it’s going to be a dogfight… So it’s going to just have to come down to the last punch.”
