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No. 17 Virginia Takes Game 1 at No. 14 North Carolina 7-3

Jake Gelof and Ethan O'Donnell hit home runs to lead the Cavaliers over the Tar Heels on Friday night to open ACC play
Matt Newton|
Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

Jake Gelof and Ethan O'Donnell combined for two home runs and five RBI and No. 17 Virginia baseball opened ACC play with a 7-3 victory at No. 14 North Carolina on Friday night at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill. 

UVA jumped on UNC starter Max Carlson early, as Griff O'Ferrall hit a leadoff single to start the game, moved to second on a passed ball, advanced to third on a fly out, and then scored on a single from Jake Gelof. 

In the top of the second, Ethan Anderson singled and Harrison Didawick walked to put runners on first and second with one out. Justin Rubin came up and delivered a double to left field to score both runners. After another single from O'Ferrall, Ethan O'Donnell hammered a ball over the right field wall for a three-run home run, giving the Cavaliers a 6-0 lead. 

UNC responded in the bottom of the second as Jackson Van De Brake hit a two-run home run to center field off of UVA starter Nick Parker. Other than that blemish in the second inning, Parker was solid on the mound for the Cavaliers, giving up just two earned runs on five hits in four innings of work. Parker gave up a single, hit a batter, and walked another to load the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fourth. Parker then proceeded to strike out the next two batters and get the third to fly out to end the inning as the Tar Heels stranded the bases loaded. 

Parker ran into more trouble in the fifth, though, giving up a walk and a single to start to the inning. Virginia brought in Angelo Tonas, who worked the Cavaliers out of the jam with three straight outs, including back-to-back strikeouts to end in the inning. 

Virginia added a run in the top of the sixth as Jake Gelof crushed an opposite field bomb to right center for his 30th career home run. 

Tonas retired the side in order in the sixth inning and finished with a statline of zero runs, zero hits, zero walks, and two strikeouts in two innings pitched. Jake Berry entered the game in the seventh and took some time to settle in, giving up an RBI single to Van De Brake. Berry had no problems after that, retiring seven of the next eight batters and pitching a scoreless eighth and ninth innings to secure the 7-3 victory for Virginia. 

Angelo Tonas was credited with the win, his first as a Cavalier, and Jake Berry earned his second save of the season. 

Now 13-0 on the season and 1-0 in ACC play, Virginia will look to win the opening ACC series of the season as the Cavaliers and Tar Heels conclude the series with a doubleheader on Saturday. Game 2 is set for 1pm with Game 3 to follow 45 minutes afterwards. 

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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