Virginia Completes Sweep With 10-3 Win Against North Carolina

The Cavaliers put up eight runs in the first three innings of the game and cruised to the sweep over the Tar Heels

Author:
Matt Newton
Updated:
Apr 24, 2022 7:12 PM EDT
Original:
Apr 24, 2022

Winning the third game of this pivotal Coastal series did not take nearly as much drama as the first two games, but the Cavaliers got the job done. Virginia put up eight runs in the first three innings and cruised to a 10-3 victory to complete the series sweep over North Carolina on Sunday afternoon at Disharoon Park.

UVA won Friday's game 1 against UNC 4-2 thanks to a lights-out effort from the Virginia pitching staff, then needed an extraordinary rally to win game 2 on Saturday, as the Cavaliers erased a three-run deficit with a seven-run tenth inning, capped off by a walk-off grand slam by Devin Ortiz.

On a warm Sunday afternoon in Charlottesville, the Virginia bats got hot early and essentially put the game away in the first third of the contest.

Alex Tappen delivered a two-run home run to left center field to get the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning. In the next inning, UVA used a series of base hits to chase North Carolina starter Kyle Mott out of the game. Ethan Anderson, Casey Saucke, Max Cotier, and Griff O'Ferrall hit four-consecutive singles to score two runs.

UNC inserted Shawn Rapp into the game, but the scoring run continued for the Cavaliers. Kyle Teel hit a sacrifice fly to score Max Cotier and then Virginia hit three more singles, the second of which was a two-run base hit by Jake Gelof up the middle to make it 7-0.

North Carolina got on the board on a solo home run by Mac Horvath in the top of the third, but Virginia responded with another run in the bottom half of the inning. Ethan Anderson doubled to right field and then Max Cotier brought him home with an RBI single into left field to make it 8-1.

Sophomore lefty Jake Berry got the start on the mound for the Cavaliers and pitched five solid innings in a winning effort, giving up two runs (one of them earned) on four hits and striking out six batters.

Berry was lifted in the top of the sixth after giving up a leadoff double and another baserunner on an error. UNC eventually scored a run as Mikey Madej scored Horvath on a sacrifice fly. Woolfolk gave up zero earned runs and struck out two in two innings of work.

North Carolina scored one more run in the top of the eighth as Johnny Castagnozzi hit an RBI double off of Will Geerdes, but UVA responded with two more runs in the bottom of the eighth to make sure the Tar Heels could not work themselves back in the game. Kyle Teel hit an RBI double down the right field line and then came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Jake Gelof.

Gelof had three RBIs on the day and Ethan Anderson went 3-4 with two runs scored.

UNC put a few runners on base in the ninth, but Brandon Neeck came in and got the final two outs to end the game and finish the sweep over the Tar Heels, Virginia's first series sweep since taking each of a three-game series against Boston College in late March.

UVA has won four games in a row and improves to 31-10 overall and 13-8 in ACC play. Up next, Virginia looks to avenge a 9-2 loss against Old Dominion from April 12th as the Cavaliers head to Norfolk to take on the Monarchs on Tuesday at 6pm.

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