Saturday, February 27
Charlottesville, VA
3 PM
George Washington University
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Softball Opens Season at Cavalier Classic
2/27/2021 9:07:00 PM | Softball
Buff & Blue dropped both ends of doubleheader
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - GW softball made its long-awaited season debut on Saturday, battling a pair of quality opponents in a Cavalier Classic doubleheader at Palmer Park.
The Buff and Blue were burned by a pair of late rallies on Opening Day. Host Virginia scored all three of its runs in the sixth-inning of the opener to deal them a 3-2 defeat before James Madison stormed back with a seven-run seventh to beat them 8-4 in the nightcap.
Virginia 3, GW 2:Â GW's own seventh-inning rally came up just short in its season opener.
After Virginia's rally, the Colonials trailed by two runs entering the final frame before Jessica Linquist's two-out RBI double scored Amber Lotz to halve the deficit. Following walks to Sierra Lange and Jenna Cone and a pitching change, the Cavaliers were able to strand the bases loaded and secure the victory.
GW carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning when Arizona Ritchie delivered a two-out, two run triple to the opposite field to put the home team in front. Ritchie, who is the daughter of GW baseball Head Coach Gregg Ritchie, later scored on an error to pad the Virginia advantage.
For the Colonials, Lange made a strong return to the lineup after missing last season due to injury. The redshirt junior from Plano, Texas, allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits with four strikeouts in a complete-game effort, preserving a shutout into her final inning of work. She also singled to lead off the fourth inning and came around to score the game's first run while Sidney Bloomfield was stuck in a rundown between first and second with two outs in the frame.
In her Buff and Blue debut, Lotz, a graduate transfer via Houston Baptist, provided a spark at the bottom of the lineup with a double in the fifth before the seventh-inning walk. Fellow graduate transfer Olivia Vinyard also recorded her first hit via a third-inning single.
James Madison 8, GW 4: Facing a squad receiving votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, GW went ahead on Faith Weber's two-run single in the bottom of the second inning and tacked on single runs in the fifth and sixth to build their advantage to 4-1 entering the final inning.
The Dukes exploded for seven runs on five hits in the inning, tying it on Logan Newton's three-run triple and then going in front with back-to-back home runs.
Again, GW fought to the finish, bringing the tying run to the plate in its half of the seventh thanks to singles from Bloomfield, Lotz and Alexa Williams before JMU was able to escape the bases-loaded jam.
A first-year from El Cajon, Calif., Williams went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in her collegiate debut, while classmate Abby Schaub reached base for the first time with a walk and scored on Linquist's single in the sixth.
In addition to her two-run single, Weber made her first start of the season in the circle and delivered four quality innings before exiting.
UP NEXT:Â GW is set to close out its opening weekend of competition with a Sunday doubleheader vs. Virginia with first pitch at Palmer Park set for noon.
The Buff and Blue were burned by a pair of late rallies on Opening Day. Host Virginia scored all three of its runs in the sixth-inning of the opener to deal them a 3-2 defeat before James Madison stormed back with a seven-run seventh to beat them 8-4 in the nightcap.
Virginia 3, GW 2:Â GW's own seventh-inning rally came up just short in its season opener.
After Virginia's rally, the Colonials trailed by two runs entering the final frame before Jessica Linquist's two-out RBI double scored Amber Lotz to halve the deficit. Following walks to Sierra Lange and Jenna Cone and a pitching change, the Cavaliers were able to strand the bases loaded and secure the victory.
GW carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning when Arizona Ritchie delivered a two-out, two run triple to the opposite field to put the home team in front. Ritchie, who is the daughter of GW baseball Head Coach Gregg Ritchie, later scored on an error to pad the Virginia advantage.
For the Colonials, Lange made a strong return to the lineup after missing last season due to injury. The redshirt junior from Plano, Texas, allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits with four strikeouts in a complete-game effort, preserving a shutout into her final inning of work. She also singled to lead off the fourth inning and came around to score the game's first run while Sidney Bloomfield was stuck in a rundown between first and second with two outs in the frame.
In her Buff and Blue debut, Lotz, a graduate transfer via Houston Baptist, provided a spark at the bottom of the lineup with a double in the fifth before the seventh-inning walk. Fellow graduate transfer Olivia Vinyard also recorded her first hit via a third-inning single.
James Madison 8, GW 4: Facing a squad receiving votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, GW went ahead on Faith Weber's two-run single in the bottom of the second inning and tacked on single runs in the fifth and sixth to build their advantage to 4-1 entering the final inning.
The Dukes exploded for seven runs on five hits in the inning, tying it on Logan Newton's three-run triple and then going in front with back-to-back home runs.
Again, GW fought to the finish, bringing the tying run to the plate in its half of the seventh thanks to singles from Bloomfield, Lotz and Alexa Williams before JMU was able to escape the bases-loaded jam.
A first-year from El Cajon, Calif., Williams went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in her collegiate debut, while classmate Abby Schaub reached base for the first time with a walk and scored on Linquist's single in the sixth.
In addition to her two-run single, Weber made her first start of the season in the circle and delivered four quality innings before exiting.
UP NEXT:Â GW is set to close out its opening weekend of competition with a Sunday doubleheader vs. Virginia with first pitch at Palmer Park set for noon.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Humphrey, Alissa (1-0)
L: Lange, Sierra (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Bernett, Lauren 2
3B: Newton, Logan 1
HR: Meeks, Lynsey 1 ; Naujokas, Madison 1
RBI: Newton, Logan 3 ; Meeks, Lynsey 2 ; Naujokas, Madison 1 ; Phillips, Emily 2
SH: Phillips, Emily 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gordon, Kate 1 ; Jubas, Sarah 1 ; Alexander, Odicci 1 ; Newton, Logan 1 ; Meeks, Lynsey 2 ; Naujokas, Madison 1 ; Bernett, Lauren 1
HBP: Alexander, Odicci 1 ; Sullivan, Michelle 1
Batting:
2B: Williams, Alexa 1
RBI: Linquist, Jessica 1 ; Lange, Sierra 1 ; Weber, Faith 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Linquist, Jessica 1 ; Ramirez, Alena 1 ; Williams, Alexa 1 ; Schaub, Abby 1
SB: Schaub, Abby 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
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4
R
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RBI
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AB
4
R
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H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
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H
1
RBI
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rf/p
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
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Players Mentioned
OF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballUT
/ SoftballUT
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ SoftballP
/ SoftballSoftball Gratitude Video
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