MURFREESBORO, N.C. – UVA Wise softball picked up a season opening 15-3 win over nonconference opponent Chowan University in game one of Wednesday afternoon's doubleheader. Due to darkness, game two was called after seven innings with a 1-1 tie.
The Cavs (1-0-1) finished with 10 hits in the first game of the day including an Alexis Miles homer while Chowan (0-3-1) compiled six hits and four errors.
Freshman Sarah Barrett recorded her first career hit as she knocked a leadoff double to right center. A Chowan throwing error allowed senior Kailey Huffman to reach first while Barrett ran home for an unearned run.
Another error by the Hawks put runners on first and second base while Huffman scored another unearned run for UVA Wise to push the lead to 2-0 in the top of the frame. Chowan responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first, scoring on a double and groundout to knot the contest at 2-2 heading into the second.
A pair of Chowan errors in the top of the second allowed UVA Wise to extend the margin as Barrett and Huffman crossed home plate for the Cavs.
A single off the bat of freshman Jenna McDermott advanced sophomore Riley Hunt to third after a fielding error put Hunt on base. Freshman Kara Long plated Hunt on a groundout to second base to put the Cavs lead at 5-2 at the end of the third inning.
Each team scored a run in the fourth frame as Alexis Miles homered to left field before UVA Wise plated two more in the fifth inning.
Back-to-back singles for Long and McDermott put runners on base for the Cavs in the top of the fifth. McDermott advanced on a wild pitch before a Huffman single to left field scored Long and McDermott.
UVA Wise made up for a scoreless sixth inning with a big seven-run seventh frame. A Miles single down the left field line pushed senior Kaylee Jones and Barrett across. Senior Katie Russell's single scored Miles while Russell scored on the next at-bat as Hunt singled to left field. Barrett's two-out double sent three more home for the Cavs as Chowan went three up, three down in the bottom of the frame for a 15-3 UVA Wise game one victory.
Miles and McDermott each finished 2-for-3 at the plate and tallied two runs while Miles had three RBI in the win. Barrett went 2-for-4 in the contest and added three runs.
Sophomore McKenna Falwell earned her first win of the campaign as she scattered six hits and fanned eight through seven innings. Chowan's Emarae Flores suffered the loss falling to 0-2 on the season after allowing eight runs in five innings while striking out three.
In the second game of the day, Chowan put the first run on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a homer. Neither team managed to score a run again until the seventh frame when sophomore Megan Wilson scored on a Barrett single through the right side.
Long went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate in game two while Miles recorded a pair of hits for the Cavs.
Senior Raychel Lapallo scattered five hits and struck out five across seven innings of work.
Softball will return to action on Thursday, February 18 for another nonconference doubleheader at King University.
