Virginia Baseball Bounces Back, Beats UMass 10-6 to Claim Series Win
After suffering a humbling 10-5 loss to UMass on Saturday, Virginia's first regular season defeat to a non-conference opponent in nearly two calendar years, the Cavaliers vowed to to attack the rubber match with a renewed vigor and accomplished that objective by doing something they've rarely done this season: start strong.
No. 13 Virginia (10-1) stormed out of the gates with nine runs in the first four innings and powered past UMass (2-5) for a 10-6 win to claim the series victory on Sunday afternoon at Disharoon Park.
Part of UVA's issues with slow starts have been the result of bad starting pitching. Jay Woolfolk addressed that side of things with a dazzling performance on the mound, posting zeroes through the first three innings and giving up just one earned run in six innings of work.
The Virginia bats, which had shown a penchant for coming along later in games, showed up early on this time, plating three runs in the bottom of the second on a Harrison Didawick RBI double, a Henry Godbout RBI single, and a Griff O'Ferrall sacrifice fly. The Cavaliers scored three more runs in the following inning, as Anthony Stephan and Henry Ford started the frame with singles and Casey Saucke drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. Harrison Didawick delivered a far from ideal RBI by grounding into a double play, but Henry Godbout followed that up with a two-run home run to left field to make it 6-0.
Woolfolk gave up his lone run of the game on an RBI single in the top of the fourth, but worked out of the jam with no further damage. UVA then sent three runs across the plate for the third-consecutive inning, as O'Ferrall walked and Bobby Whalen singled before Stephan brought home O'Ferrall with an RBI groundout. Henry Ford then crushed a ball into the left field bleachers for a two-run home run, stretching the Cavalier lead to 9-1.
Woolfolk pitched two more scoreless innings before giving the ball to Angelo Tonas, who allowed one unearned run to the Minutemen in the top of the seventh. UVA answered in the bottom half as Stephan hit a standup triple and scored on a Ford sacrifice fly.
The ninth inning was sloppy for the Cavaliers, as Blake Barker put the first three batters he faced on base and then gave up a bases-clearing double. Aidan Teel entered the game and gave up an RBI double, but then struck out the next two batters to finally end the game 10-6.
Jay Woolfolk gets the game ball for his six innings of one-run baseball, scattering eight hits and striking out five batters. Henry Ford and Henry Godbout both had three RBI, two hits, and a home run.
Virginia has a busy week ahead with five games. UVA will host Penn State on Tuesday at 1pm at Disharoon Park and then play at George Washington on Wednesday at 2:30pm in Washington D.C. The Cavaliers then head down for a three-game series at Miami this weekend.
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