Pitching Shines, Virginia Baseball Shuts Out Boston College 4-0 to Claim Series

Matt Newton | Apr 28, 2024

Joe Savino throws a pitch during the Virginia baseball game at Boston College. / Virginia Athletics

The UVA bats scored only 10 total runs across the three games, by far the lowest combined scoring output in a series for what was the nation's fifth-ranked scoring offense coming into the weekend, averaging more than 10 runs per game.

And yet, this might have been one of the more encouraging series of the season, as the Cavalier pitching staff took a big step forward to carry the weight and pick up two key victories on Friday and Saturday to win the series.

No. 14 Virginia (33-12, 14-10 ACC) posted just its third shutout of the season and first against an ACC opponent in a 4-0 victory over Boston College (21-21, 8-16 ACC) to claim the series on Saturday afternoon in Brighton, Massachusetts.

Joe Savino got the start for the Cavaliers and used a double play to work around a walk and a single in the bottom of the first before retiring the Eagles in order in the second.

Virginia struck first in the top of the third as Bobby Whalen hit an RBI groundout to score Henry Godbout and Casey Saucke hit a single up the middle to score Luke Hanson.

Savino worked around two more baserunners in the bottom of the third and then pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth to wrap up his outing of four scoreless frames.

The Cavaliers added to their lead with two more runs in the top of the fifth and it was the same two players crossing the plate as Godbout reached on an error and eventually came home on a Whalen single and then Saucke hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Hanson. Both of those runs were unearned and gave Virginia a 4-0 lead.

Though the UVA offense did no further damage for the rest of the game, the Cavalier pitching staff said, "We'll take it from here."

Angelo Tonas stranded a runner in scoring position in the fifth, before giving way to Aidan Teel, who posted a 1-2-3 sixth inning and then allowed a walk and a single to put a runner on third before picking up a key strikeout to end the seventh.

Blake Barker surrendered a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth and was replaced by Chase Hungate, the pitching hero of game 2, who hit a batter and then threw a wild pitch to put runners on second and third, but managed to strand those runners and preserve the shutout.

Just as he did on Friday, Hungate ultimately recorded the final five outs of the game, working around a single in the bottom of the ninth to retire the side and complete the 4-0 shutout victory for Virginia.

Angelo Tonas was credited with the victory, his second of the season, but all five of the UVA pitchers deserve a great deal of credit for their performances on Saturday, holding Boston College to just five hits and issuing only four walks. Joe Savino gave the Cavaliers a high-quality start with four scoreless innings and Aidan Teel and Chase Hungate were clutch in the late innings out of the bullpen.

Bobby Whalen led Virginia offensively, going 2 for 4 with two RBI and Casey Saucke had the other two RBI, while Henry Godbout and Luke Hanson scored two runs apiece.

Up next, Virginia heads to Richmond to take on VCU on Tuesday at 6:30pm and then hosts Navy on Wednesday at 6pm. The Cavaliers are off next weekend.