Virginia Baseball Beats Clemson 11-6 in Marathon Series Opener

The Cavaliers downed the Tigers in a game 1 that lasted nearly 24 hours due to weather delays

Author:
Matt Newton
Updated:
May 15, 2022 10:02 AM EDT
Original:
May 14, 2022

The game ended nearly 24 hours after it began, but the Cavaliers finally beat the Tigers to take the series opener. Due to extensive weather delays that eventually suspended the game in the fourth inning late on Friday night, game 1 of this three-game series resumed early afternoon on Saturday and No. 12 Virginia pulled away in the eighth inning to defeat Clemson 11-6 at Disharoon Park.

The Tigers scored four of their six runs in the first two innings of the game. Virginia starter Brian Gursky gave up a pair of singles and then Tyler Corbitt hit a two-out three-run home run to left field. In the following inning, Clemson scored again on another home run, this time a solo shot to left center by Jonathan French.

Gursky regained control after that and worked through the fourth inning without giving up anymore runs and struck out three batters in the process. Clemson starter Mack Anglin kept the Cavaliers off the board through the first three innings.

Then came the marathon fourth inning that ended up taking nearly 16 hours to complete.

Jake Gelof led off with a single and Chris Newell walked on four pitches before Ethan Anderson tripled off the wall in right field to score both Gelof and Newell.

Anglin walked two batters to load the bases and then walked in a run as Teel watched four pitches miss the zone. A wild pitch from Anglin allowed Max Cotier to score from third and tie the game at 4-4.

With Alex Tappen at the plate and runners in scoring position, a lightning strike forced the game to be delayed as the stadium was evacuated. There was hope that the game could be eventually resumed and completed on Friday night, but it was announced shortly after 9pm that the game had been suspended.

Originally scheduled to restart at 11am on Saturday, the game was delayed again due to rain showers in the area. At around 12:45pm, the fourth inning finally resumed. Anglin had to return to the mound to finish the at-bat against Tappen, which ended with Tappen drawing a walk to load the bases.

Clemson inserted righty Jackson Lindley, who walked Jake Gelof to walk in another run and then gave up a two-run single to Devin Ortiz to give Virginia a 7-4 lead.

UVA turned to Dylan Bowers on the mound, who walked the first batter he faced and then gave up a two-run home run to Max Wagner, Clemson's third home run of the game, to make it 7-6. The score remained 7-6 through the next two innings as the Cavaliers were held scoreless by Lindley in their next three at-bats.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Virginia batters finally got to Lindley again and loaded the bases with no outs. The Tigers went to PJ Labriola on the mound and Chris Newell drew a walk to score a run. Labriola struck out Ethan Anderson for the first out of the inning and then Casey Saucke hit a 1-1 pitch into the gap in right center field for a two-run double. Griff O'Ferrall drove in another run on a sacrifice fly to left field to make it 11-6, some much-needed breathing room for the Cavaliers.

Matthew Buchanan, Jay Woolfolk, and Brandon Neeck combined to throw 4.1 innings of scoreless relief work to keep the Tigers off the board through their last four at-bats. Buchanan earned the win, Woolfolk and Neeck had three strikeouts apiece, and Neeck picked up the save.

With the rain falling down hard in the top of the ninth inning, Max Cotier made an incredible diving stop of a ground ball up the middle before flipping the ball to O'Ferrall at second base for a force-out to end the game.

With the win, Virginia improves to 36-12 and 15-10 in ACC play. Game 2 of the series, originally scheduled for 4pm on Saturday, has been postponed until Sunday. The final two games of the series will be played as a doubleheader on Sunday, with first pitch for game 2 scheduled for 10am at Disharoon Park.

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