Skip to main content
Cavaliers Now

Virginia Baseball Mercy Rules Navy 24-5 in Season-Opener

The Cavaliers scored 14 runs in the fifth inning and crushed Navy 24-5 in seven innings
Matt Newton|
Virginia Baseball Mercy Rules Navy 24-5 in Season-Opener
Virginia Baseball Mercy Rules Navy 24-5 in Season-Opener

The 2023 Virginia baseball season started with a bang on Friday afternoon at Disharoon Park, as the Cavaliers put up 24 runs and triggered the mercy rule in a 24-5 beatdown against Navy. 

Elon transfer Brian Edgington got the start on the mound for UVA and breezed through the first four innings, holding the Midshipmen scoreless and allowing just two baserunners. 

Virginia's offense made it clear early on that Edgington's performance wasn't going to be wasted. Northwestern transfer Ethan O'Donnell drew a walk in the bottom of the first inning and then Casey Saucke hit a double to left center to give the Cavaliers runners on second and third with two outs. Kyle Teel then delivered a hard-hit ball that was too hot for the Navy first baseman to handle, scooting into right field to bring in both O'Donnell and Saucke. 

In the bottom of the second inning, another Navy error and then a single from Justin Rubin put runners on second and third for the Cavaliers again. Griff O'Ferrall popped out to center field, but Navy committed yet another error, allowing Colin Tuft to score. Ethan O'Donnell then came to the plate and delivered his first homer in a Virginia uniform, hitting a two-run home run to left center. 

UVA added another run in the third inning on a solo home run from Kyle Teel to right field. Teel had a fantastic season debut, going 3-4 with two RBI, a great sign for the junior catcher after he struggled at the plate last season. 

In the fourth inning, a Jake Gelof double down the right field line brought home Griff O'Ferrall and then Casey Saucke hit Virginia's third home run of the game, giving UVA a 9-0 lead. 

Navy finally got on the board in the top of the fifth inning and managed to knock Edgington out of the game in the process. After Edgington gave up an RBI single, Virginia brought in Army transfer Connelly Early, who walked the first batter he faced and then surrendered an RBI single before getting the next batter to ground into an inning-ending double-play. 

Based on the way the Virginia offense responded in the bottom half of the fifth, the Cavaliers felt their lead was threatened enough by Navy's two-run spurt in the top of the fifth to bring the hammer down. UVA ended up batting around twice in the inning and put up a staggering 14 runs in the fifth. The Cavaliers' hot hitting certainly had a lot to do with the big inning, but the Midshipmen didn't do themselves any favors, as fielding miscues and wild pitches gave the Hoos a few extra outs that they didn't need. 

12 of Virginia's 14 runs in the inning came with two outs. Some of the highlights of the inning include Washington College transfer Chris Baker hitting a two-run double to left field in the midst of the inning and then capping the inning with another two-run single to right field. Freshman Harrison Didawick, who got the start in left field in his collegiate debut, hit a two-run home run to right center. 

By the end of the inning, the Cavaliers had turned a 9-2 lead into a 23-2 lead, sending most of the fans in attendance to the parking lot. Navy would score two runs in the top of the sixth and one in the top of the seventh, but did not come nearly close to avoiding the mercy rule as Virginia closed out the 24-5 victory. 

Six different UVA batters recorded multiple RBI in the game, headlined by Chris Baker's four RBI and three RBI each for Ethan O'Donnell and Jake Gelof. Four different Cavaliers hit home runs in the game as well: Ethan O'Donnell, Casey Saucke, Kyle Teel, and Harrison Didawick. UVA used three different pitchers in the game, with VCU transfer Chase Hungate finishing off the game in the seventh. 

Virginia will continue its opening weekend action at the Hughes Bros. Challenge in Wilmington, North Carolina as the Cavaliers take on Ohio at 2pm on Saturday. 

To stay up to date on all Virginia Cavaliers sports news, follow CavaliersNow on social media:

Facebook: @CavaliersNow
Twitter: @CavaliersNowFN

See more Virginia baseball news and content: Virginia Baseball on Sports Illustrated

See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
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.

Share on XFollow mattynewtss
Home/Baseball