Quietly, to the outside world, anyway, the Virginia softball team is putting together a special season.
The ‘Hoos (26-11, 9-6 ACC) closed out a successful road trip to South Bend with a 6-3 win at Notre Dame (22-14, 7-8 ACC) on Sunday.
The win leaves UVA in a tie for fifth in the ACC and a spot at 29 in the D1 RPI after the weekend.
Virginia has had just one record in ACC play in coach Joanna Hardin‘s eight-year tenure, back in 2022, but things are looking good right now at the midpoint to the 2024 season.
“I’m proud of the team for grinding it out to find a way to win. This is a tough league and a tough place to play,” Hardin said after Sunday’s win.
The big hit in the win came from Kelly Ayer, whose two-out, three-run triple broke things open.
Eden Bigham (11-6) got the win in relief, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts through 4.2 innings of work.
Virginia returns home to lead off a five-game homestand on Tuesday when the Cavaliers host Liberty in a 7 p.m. contest at Palmer Park on ACC Network.
The Cavaliers will then continue the homestand with a three-game set against NC State over the weekend.