Charlottesville, VA (cvillerightnow.com): Virginia Softball welcomed the Louisville Cardinals to Palmer Park yesterday evening for the start of a pivotal ACC series. Though the Cardinals pulled away in the late innings after Virginia led in the early going, the Hoos showed their quality tying it up at the close and forcing the game into extra innings.  However, the final surge was not enough to take the game for UVA, as the Cardinals got the job done in the bonus frames, finishing the game as winners by a score of 6-5.   

The first RBI of the game belonged to Virginia slugger Bella Cabral, who knocked home Jade Hylton from second to give the Hoos an early lead in the first inning.  The Cardinals jumped on top putting Virginia starter Julia Cuozzo in a bases loaded jam then doubling home three runs to grab a two-run advantage.   

A two-run blast in the seventh from the visitors brought the score to 5-1 Louisville.  The Hoos stormed back after the Seventh Inning Stretch with two singles that brought slugging shortstop Jade Hylton to plate.  She looked to take sole possession of second place on the all-time homerun list for the Hoos with her 14th homerun of the season, and it did not take long for her to find a pitch she liked.  One swing tied the game at 5 and brought the third-year superstar one rung further up the ladder.   

Into extra frames, the Cardinals grabbed the lead back in the ninth after a fielding error that only just kept the rally alive for the visitors.  The go-ahead double that followed brought the score to 6-5 Louisville, and that’s where it would stay when another Wahoo response fell just short.  Virginia dropped to 31-14 while Louisville improved to 23-18. 

UVA Skipper Joanna Hardin was disappointed by the defeat, but, in an excellent display of character, did not begin her postgame remarks without first sending well-wishes to those affected by the mass-shooting at Florida State that occurred earlier that day.