Virginia Baseball Powers Past Liberty 14-4 in Seven Innings
After suffering a disappointing series loss to Georgia Tech that capped a week-long setback that saw the Cavaliers lose three of five games, Virginia baseball (31-11) got back on track with a dominant effort against Liberty (17-22), posting a 14-4 run-rule win in seven innings on Tuesday night at Disharoon Park.
After UVA starter Bryson Moore avoided some early trouble with an inning-ending 4-6-3 double-play in the top of the first, the Cavaliers got the scoring started right away as Griff O'Ferrall and Bobby Whalen hit back-to-back singles to lead off the bottom of the first. Henry Ford hit a sacrifice fly to score O'Ferrall and then Whalen impressively scored from second base on a wild pitch.
Moore gave up a pair of solo home runs to the Flames in the top of the second to tie the game, but the Cavaliers answered with a long ball in the bottom half as Whalen delivered a two-run home run to left center field.
Ryan Osinski retired the Flames in order in the top of the third, and then the Cavaliers opened things up in the bottom of the third, capitalizing on two walks, two HBPs, and two errors to score four runs to make it 8-2.
Osinski put another zero on the board thanks to an inning-ending 6-4-3 double-play in the fourth and then Virginia plated three runs in the bottom of the fourth on back-to-back home runs by Casey Saucke and Henry Ford. Ethan Anderson then singed, moved to third on a Harrison Didawick double, and scored on a wild pitch.
Liberty got two back in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single off of Matt Augustin.
Virginia put the run-rule into play in the bottom of the sixth as Ethan Anderson hit an RBI single and then Didawick crushed a ball that cleared everything beyond the bullpen in right field and exited the stadium for his team-leading 16th home run of the season.
Blake Barker shut the Flames down in order in the top of the seventh to secure Virginia's 14-4 victory.
Osinski was credited with his fourth win of the season as he gave up just one hit in two innings of work.
Bobby Whalen, Henry Ford, and Harrison Didawick each had multi-hit and multi-RBI games and Ethan Anderson went 3 for 3 with three runs scored.
Up next, Virginia will head up to Boston for a three-game series at Boston College this weekend. The series opener will be the 12th annual ALS Awareness Game at Fenway Park, which honors former Boston College baseball captain Pete Frates ever since his ALS diagnosis in 2012.
Game 1 between Virginia and Boston College will be played on Thursday at 7pm at Fenway Park and will be televised on the ACC Network. The last two games of the series will be played at Harrington Athletics Village in Chestnut Hill, with game 2 starting at 3pm on Friday and the series finale starting at 1pm on Saturday.