Jake Gelof Hits for the Cycle in Virginia's 19-1 Win Over Cornell

Gelof became the first Cavalier to hit for the cycle since 2001

Author:
Dylan Castagne
Updated:
Feb 27, 2022 5:51 PM EST
Original:
Feb 27, 2022

It took Virginia batters over 100 years to notch the first cycle in program history. On Sunday afternoon, it only took Jake Gelof five innings to add his name to the UVA baseball history books. Gelof, the second year infielder, hit for the cycle–amassing a single, double, triple, and home run– en route to a 19-1 blowout victory for the Cavaliers over the Cornell Big Red, completing their first sweep of the season.

Gelof got the scoring started early for UVA, with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first, continuing his red-hot start to the 2022 campaign. Then, after a questionable call by the Cornell coaching staff to intentionally walk Devin Ortiz, Gelof quickly made them pay, slashing a two-RBI double to left field.

In the fourth, a ball laced down the right field line allowed Gelof to leg out a triple, leaving him just a single away from competing the rare feat. Staring down the history books, Gelof singled in the fifth, earning a standing ovation from the crowd at Davenport field as he became the first Cavalier to hit for the cycle since Hunter Wyant in 2001.

Gelof wasn’t alone in his strong offensive performance, as the UVA lineup filled up the box score throughout the afternoon, scoring runs in seven of the eight possible innings. The Cavaliers combined for 18 hits and four home runs, in another strong outing against Cornell.

Kyle Teel and Alex Tappen both had impressive performances, combining for three hits and nine RBIs.

Sunday’s performance caps off what has been a historic weekend for the UVA offense, scoring 60 runs over the three-game stretch, tying an all-time mark set in 1891.

For the UVA pitching staff, Brandon Neeck had another strong performance for Virginia, going five innings and striking out eight, while allowing just three hits.

The lone Cornell run came off of a bloop single by Max Jensen into shallow left field, allowing Jacobi Davis to cross the plate.

From there, the bullpen turned in a fantastic performance, shutting down the Cornell offense. Alex Greene pitched the sixth, allowing two hits and striking out one.

Dylan Bowers and Will Geerdes combined to pitch the final three innings, striking out the final six batters of the game.

With the sweep, the Cavaliers move to 7-0 on the season and will look to continue this strong start when they welcome William and Mary to Disharoon Park on Wednesday afternoon before hosting Penn State for a three-game weekend series.

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