Saturday's games in the Elon Tournament were cancelled due to inclement weather, but the Cavaliers had a full day of work yesterday as they faced UNC Wilmington and host Elon. The morning session started with Virginia blanking UNC Wilmington 9-0 in the season opener of the 2010 campaign, but ended with just short of a comback, as the 'Hoos lost 8-10 to Elon.
Against UNC Wilmington, freshman pitcher Melanie Mitchell earned her first career win in the circle and finished with 12 strikeouts. Virginia outhit the Seahawks (1-2) 10-4 in the contest, including a 2-for-4 performance from freshman Taylor Williams. Sophomore Gianinna Cipolloni hit a triple and senior Nicole Koren also contributed a three-run homer in the winning effort.
In the second matchup, the Cavaliers trailed by as many as six runs in the contest but battled back on three different occasions. For the second straight game, the Cavaliers registered 10 hits, including three home runs against the Phoenix. Koren hit her second on the day and the 14th of her career. Classmate Sarah Tacke also homered while freshman Alex Skinkis belted her first career long ball.
Virginia returns to action next weekend at LSU's Tiger Classic, taking on nationally ranked Michigan at 1:00 p.m. on Friday.