Ford Homers Three Times, Virginia Rallies for 14-11 Win Over No. 10 North Carolina
The Comeback Cavaliers have done it again. If there's a college baseball team that plays better from behind, I haven't seen them.
Thanks in large part to a three-home run, six-RBI night from freshman Henry Ford, No. 15 Virginia (24-6, 8-5 ACC) recorded its 15th come-from-behind victory of the season and fourth in which UVA trailed by at least five runs, as the Cavaliers erased an 11-6 deficit with a furious rally to claim the series opener with a 14-11 victory over No. 10 North Carolina (25-5, 10-3 ACC) on Thursday night at Disharoon Park.
Pitching was again something of a fiasco for the Cavaliers, at least early on. UVA starter Cullen McKay lasted only one inning, and he and Chase Hungate gave up a combined 11 runs in the first three frames. McKay issued a couple of walks and then hit a batter to load the bases with two outs in the top of the first and Luke Stevenson cashed in with a double down the right field line to score two runs.
That initial Tar Heel lead didn't last for long, though, as Virginia's first three batters in the bottom of the first reached base on a single, a hit-by-pitch, and a walk before the man of the night Henry Ford cleared them all with an opposite-field grand slam into the bullpen in right field.
The Cavaliers weren't done, though, as Harrison Didawick drew a walk and then Luke Hanson lifted a ball to right center field that cleared the wall in one of the deepest parts of the ball park for a two-run home run.
Virginia's advantage was short-lived. McKay walked two more batters to start the second and both came around to score as Chase Hungate was unable to limit the damage. The third inning was even worse, as the Tar Heels got a two-run triple from Colby Wilkerson to tie the game, RBI singles from Casey Cook and Anthony Donofrio, and a ground-rule RBI double to Alberto Osuna that knocked Hungate out of the game. Blake Barker came in and gave up a two-run single to Stevenson (charged to Hungate) before finally posting a strikeout to end the inning with North Carolina leading 11-6.
Never fazed by a deficit of any kind, the UVA bats went right back to work to dig out of the hole, slowly but surely. Eric Becker got things started with Virginia's third home run of the game, a solo shot to left field for his first-career homer.
The Cavaliers put some real pressure on the Tar Heels with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Didawick reached on an error, moved to third on a double from Jacob Ference, and scored on an Ethan Anderson RBI groundout. O'Ferrall brought in Ference with a sacrifice fly and then Bobby Whalen hit an RBI single to make it 11-10.
Virginia pulled even in the bottom of the sixth and Ford was responsible again as he went deep for the second time, a leadoff solo shot to left center to tie things up at 11-11.
After taking a beating early, the Virginia pitching staff bounced back in a big way, holding North Carolina entirely off the board for the last six innings of the game. Blake Barker was the first to right the ship, throwing 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball and posting five strikeouts. Ryan Osinski kept it going with a 1-2-3 seventh and then got the first out of the eighth before giving up a single.
UVA used three pitchers to get through the inning, as Angelo Tonas and Matt Augustin both recorded strikeouts to prevent UNC from threatening to take the lead.
With the pitchers holding the previously explosive UNC offense in check, the Cavalier bats took the opportunity to seize the game in the bottom of the eighth. It was none other than Henry Ford to deliver the go-ahead run, once again with a home run to left-center, the third of the night in what was an unforgettable performance from the freshman first baseman and Charlottesville native.
Didawick followed that up with a walk and then Ference and Anderson delivered back-to-back RBI doubles for some critical insurance runs, making it 14-11.
Augustin remained on the mound in the top of the ninth and retired the Tar Heels in order to secure the victory.
Despite the ugly 11 runs surrendered by the staff as a whole, the UVA arms did a stand-up job preventing the game from getting out of hand and giving the Cavalier bats a chance, with Barker, Osinski, Tonas and Augustin doing an excellent job cooling off a red-hot North Carolina offense.
Of course, Henry Ford gets the game ball as he had the game of his life, going 3 for 5 with three home runs and six RBI.
Virginia will look to clinch the series in game 2 against North Carolina on Friday at 6pm on ACC Network Extra. Jason DeCaro is set to start for UNC, while Evan Blanco will toe the rubber for the Cavaliers.