Virginia Baseball Splits Sunday Doubleheader with Duke

The Cavaliers clinched the ACC-opening series, but suffered their first loss of the season in the series finale

Author:
Matt Newton
Publish date:
Mar 14, 2022 1:11 AM EDT

Virginia baseball concluded its first ACC series of the season against Duke with a doubleheader at the Durham Athletic Park on Sunday. The Cavaliers crushed the Blue Devils 13-1 in game 2 to clinch the series win, but fell 7-6 in the series finale for their first loss of the season.

After Saturday's game was moved to Sunday due to inclement weather, the Cavaliers jumped on the Blue Devils early in game 2 and never let up, scoring runs in six out of their nine plate appearances and recording 18 hits. Virginia put up three runs in the top of the first on an RBI double from Kyle Teel and RBI singles from Devin Ortiz and Ethan Anderson.

Chad Knight got the Blue Devils on the board with a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the first, but that would be Duke's only run of the game as starting pitcher Brian Gursky and the UVA bullpen shut down the Blue Devils on the mound. In five innings of work, Gursky allowed just four hits and one earned run, while striking out four batters to pick up his fourth win of the season. Jake Berry (two innings), Jacob Hodorovich (one inning), and Paul Kosanovich (one inning) each gave up only a single hit and zero runs in relief.

UVA scored two runs in the top of the second as Jake Gelof stayed hot with an RBI double, before coming around to score on an error. An RBI single by Griff O'Ferrall in the bottom of the third made it 6-1 Virginia.

Though the Cavaliers hardly needed it on the scoreboard, they put up four runs on back-to-back-to-back RBI singles from O'Ferrall, Teel, and Ortiz, and then Teel scored on a sacrifice fly from Gelof. O'Ferrall picked up his third and fourth RBIs of the game on a two-run single in the sixth, and Alex Tappen scored on a wild pitch in the seventh.

Virginia scored at least 10 runs for the tenth time this season and clinched the series victory.

In game 3, the Cavaliers found themselves wishing they had saved some of their offense from the first half of the doubleheader, as the Blue Devils put up two runs in each of the first two innings to take an early 4-0 lead. Duke knocked starter Brandon Neeck out of the game after just two and two-thirds innings pitched. Neeck gave up four runs, three of them earned, including a two-run home run to Trevor Johnson in the bottom of the second.

After giving up back-to-back walks with two outs in the bottom of the third, Neeck was pulled for Jay Woolfolk, who hit the next batter to load the bases, but then got Ben LaSpaluto to fly out to end the inning.

Virginia got on the board in the top of the fourth as Kyle Teel scored on a Jake Gelof double. Woolfolk walked three-straight batters to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, but he managed to strike out Luke Storm to strand the bases loaded for the second consecutive inning.

The UVA bats rewarded Woolfolk by putting three runs on the board in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 4-4. Virginia loaded the bases with two walks and a hit-by-pitch and then Alex Tappen scored on a wild pitch. Chris Newell and Ethan Anderson then came home on game-tying two-run single into right field by Justin Rubin.

Woolfolk gave up a double in the bottom of the fifth, before being replaced by Devin Ortiz, who finished the inning and also pitched a scoreless sixth inning. In the bottom of the seventh, with the score still tied at four runs apiece, Ortiz hit back-to-back batters, who then advanced to second and third base on a wild pitch. Brian O'Connor pulled Ortiz for Will Geerdes, who gave up a two-run double to the gap in left-center field by Trevor Johnson. Geerdes got the next two outs, but then gave up an RBI single by Chad Knight to make it 7-4.

After a scoreless eighth inning, the Cavaliers came up to bat in the top of the ninth, trying to stage a comeback to preserve their perfect 14-0 record.

Jake Gelof struck out looking to start the inning and then Alex Tappen got on board with a single. Ethan Anderson flied out to bring the Hoos down to their last out, but Chris Newell kept things alive with a single up the middle. Newell and Anderson advanced to second and third on a wild pitch and then Casey Saucke delivered a two-run single on an 0-2 pitch to make it 7-6.

Saucke presented the game's tying run at first base, but Virginia was unable to complete the two-out rally as Justin Rubin grounded out to second to end the game as the Blue Devils became the first team to beat the Cavaliers since last season's College World Series.

Virginia leaves Durham with a record of 14-1 and 2-1 in ACC play. UVA returns to Charlottesville for a pair of games against Rider on Tuesday and Wednesday, both at 4pm, before hosting Boston College in a three-game ACC series next weekend.

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