Whalen Walks Off Georgia Tech in 11th, Virginia Baseball Evens Series
Game 2 goes to the Cavaliers.
Though they squandered a five-run lead and went to the 11th inning for the first time since the 2021 season, the Wahoos eventually managed to even up the series as Bobby Whalen came up with a walk-off bouncing single in the bottom of the 11th to lift No. 10 Virginia (30-10, 12-8 ACC) to an 8-7 win over Georgia Tech (23-14, 8-9 ACC) on Saturday evening at Disharoon Park.
After getting held to just two runs in a 13-2 loss to the Yellow Jackets to open the series on Friday, the UVA bats were again held in check for the first five innings of game 2, scoring only one run over that stretch. Georgia Tech struck first in the top of the second as Payton Green hit a leadoff double and eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Carson Kerce. Virginia answered in the bottom of the second on a solo home run from Jacob Ference that bounced off the top of the roof of the clubhouse in left center.
Georgia Tech quickly regained the lead in the top of the third as Green delivered an RBI single to put the Yellow Jackets in front 2-1, a lead that would hold for the next three innings.
The Cavaliers finally cracked the Georgia Tech pitching staff in the bottom of the sixth, as Bobby Whalen was hit by a pitch and Casey Saucke singled to put two runners on with no outs. Henry Ford brought both of them home with a three-run home run that again went well beyond the wall in left center.
The big inning continued after that as Ethan Anderson singled and Harrison Didawick and Henry Godbout both walked to load the bases with one out. A fielding error allowed Anderson and Didawick to come home and then Griff O'Ferrall scored Godbout with a sacrifice fly, capping a six-run inning that turned the game on its head and gave Virginia a 7-2 lead.
Georgia Tech immediately put a huge dent in that deficit in the top of the seventh, as Jay Woolfolk, who had retired the previous four batters he faced in a row, gave up an RBI double before being replaced by Angelo Tonas, who gave up a two-run single to the only batter he faced. Chase Hungate became the third UVA reliever to see the mound in the seventh and he allowed one more run to score on a fielder's choice, but managed to strand runners on the corners to at least keep Virginia in front 7-6.
Hungate faced runners on second and third with no outs in the top of the eighth, but induced a double play and a fly-out to send the game to the ninth with UVA still ahead by a run. That fortune ran out in the final frame, though, as Hungate gave up a leadoff single and then hit the next batter he faced. A sacrifice bunt put both baserunners in scoring position and then a groundout scored the game-tying run. To his credit, Hungate bounced back and struck out Kerce to strand the go-ahead run at third base.
Griff O'Ferrall put UVA in solid position to end the game in the bottom of the ninth with a leadoff single, but Virginia couldn't capitalize as O'Ferrall made it to second base and no further.
Both Hungate and Georgia Tech reliever Brett Thomas retired the side in order in the 10th and then Hungate worked around a one-out single in the top of the 11th.
Luke Hanson hit a leadoff double into the gap in right center to start the bottom of the 11th, advanced to third on an O'Ferrall fly-out to right field, and then scored the game-winning run as Bobby Whalen got just enough contact on a pitch to send it bouncing through the hole in the right side of the infield for the walk-off single.
Virginia improved to 4-0 in extra-inning games this season and has won 10 of its last 11 games that have gone to extras. The Cavaliers also notched their 17th come-from-behind victory of the season.
Chase Hungate was credited with the victory, his fifth of the season, as he went five innings and allowed just one earned run on six hits.
Virginia will look to clinch the series against Georgia Tech on Sunday at 1pm at Disharoon Park. UVA will start righty Joe Savino against Georgia Tech righty Tate McKee.