Virginia dropped a 7-5 decision to #7 national seed Tennessee Saturday afternoon, but the ‘Hoos will get another shot at the Vols on Sunday, after defeating Indiana for the second time in two days, 9-7, in an elimination game in the Knoxville Regional on Saturday night.
The difference in the nightcap: a two-run homer in the fifth from freshman Madison Greene, her second homer in two days, after going homerless in the regular season.
The blast gave UVA (40-14) a two-run lead, and Eden Bigham and Taylor Smith made sure the lead held up.
Bigham (15-5, 3.46 ERA) got the win in relief, giving up an unearned run in 2.1 innings of work.
Smith got the save, retiring all five batters she faced, striking out two.
Virginia got on the board first, in the first, on an RBI double from Bella Cabral, and a two-run homer from Reagan Hickey.
IU (43-16) tied it up in the bottom of the first off UVA starter Courtney Lane, the big blow being a two-run homer off the bat of Josie Bird.
Virginia retook the lead in the third on a grand slam from Alex Call, but Indiana scratched across three runs in the bottom half, on an RBI single from Ellie Goins and a two-run double from Hannah Haberstroh, then tied the game in the fourth on a Call misplay of a soft liner to short right that allowed Cassidy Kettleman to score from second.
In the opener on Saturday, Tennessee (44-10) scored five runs in the first off Bigham, but the ‘Hoos were able to get back into it, with Smith stabilizing things in the circle, and Macee Eaton hitting a three-run homer in the third, and Call going deep for a two-run shot in the sixth.
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Chris Graham
