WISE, VA — UVA Wise softball is off to its best start since joining NCAA Division II. With the sweep against the Chowan University Hawks on Friday, Feb. 11, the Cavaliers are now 6-0 — the best start since 2006.
GAME BY GAME
In the first game against Chowan, the Cavaliers and the Hawks were deadlocked until the top of the second inning, when Kaitlin Brunelli singled down the left-field line off of Cavalier veteran pitcher McKenna Falwell. After Brunelli reached second after a Cavalier error, a two-base knock by Jesse Gentry brought a run home for the Hawks to give them an early 1-0 lead. Falwell came up big, striking out the next two batters to retire the side.
Ina Womack of Chowan pitched back-to-back walks to Falwell and Sarah Barrett to get the Cavaliers in scoring position in the bottom of the second. Michaela Barney came up to the plate, swinging hard and producing a single towards the middle, scoring Falwell and bringing Barrett to third. With a tie ballgame, Womack produced two Cavalier strikeouts and a fly-out from Kara Long to keep the Cavaliers from capitalizing.
Action slowed until the bottom of the third, until Cavalier Megan Wilson drilled a grand slam to center field, clearing Kaylee Jones, Sydney Collins, and Falwell from the bases.
Jumping to a 5-1 lead, Falwell and the Cavs held the Hawks to a three-up three-down inning in the top of the fourth. Womack lost her groove in the bottom of the inning, walking Alexis Miles and Kara Long onto the bases. Falwell stepped up after two walks, singling off of a fastball up the middle to score two.
The Hawks would attempt a comeback in the top of the sixth with three hits, but the Cavaliers would hold them off for a 7-3 win.
In game two, Collins and the Cavaliers held off the Hawks from scoring for almost three full innings — and the Hawks held the Cavaliers to the same fate. It wasn't until the bottom of the third inning when Barney mustered up a single against pitcher Megan Vincent to get the Cavs on base. Long hit a shot to right field, bringing Barney home and finally putting the Cavs on the board. Jones wanted in on the action as well, hitting a double to left and scoring Long to put the Cavaliers up two. Vincent finally retired the Cavalier bats with consecutive pop-up outs from Miles and Falwell.
Hawk Haleigh Reid was able to smack an RBI double to cut the Cavalier lead in half in the top of the fourth. The Cavaliers were unresponsive until Miles brought in Jenna McDermott with an RBI double of her own. Falwell followed with a center-field single to bring in Miles, putting UVA Wise at a 4-1 lead.
In the next inning, the Cavaliers struggled with two errors and allowed the Hawks to score two unearned runs from MG Crosby and Gentry. When the Hawks next took the field while only down a run, they were able to hold off Cavalier scoring with a strikeout and a forced double-play. All the Cavaliers had to do in the top of the seventh was hold off the Hawks — and they succeeded while only allowing one hit. The Cavaliers held on, snagging a 4-3 win.
With the win, UVA Wise co-head coach Karen Bitter is one win away from 250 career wins.
UP NEXT
Next, the UVA Wise softball team will head to Bristol, Tenn. to face the King University Tornado on Tuesday, Feb. 15, with 1:00/3:00 PM start times.
Visit uvawisecavs.com for all Cavalier softball news, statistics, complete schedule, and more.
