No. 3 Virginia downs towson in midweek action

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia (20-1) scored the first 10 runs in an eventual 15-3 victory over Towson (7-14) on Tuesday at Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers extend their home win streak to 18 games and have won 20 of the first 21 games for the first time in program history.

Sophomore Jake Gelof hit his NCAA-best, 13th home run in the contest and freshman Justin Rubin hit his first collegiate long ball. The two home runs in the contest were the 37th and 38th hit by the Cavaliers at Disharoon Park this season, matching the single-season program set in 2017 (34 games).

The four Cavalier freshman in the starting lineup combined for 11 of the 16 UVA hits. Griff O’Ferrall finished the day 3-for-4 with four RBI. Colin Tuft and Rubin each had three hits while Casey Saucke added a pair of base knocks in the contest.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Virginia scored six runs in the first inning, on a collection of three hits. After three consecutive walks, Alex Tappen plated the first run on a sacrifice fly, his 15th RBI in the last six games. RBI singles from Saucke, Tuft and O’Ferrall highlighted the big inning.
• Gelof led off the second inning with his fourth home run in the last three games. Of the 42 UVA home runs this season it was just the third to lead off an inning. He moved into a tie for 10th with Pavin Smith (2017) for the most homers in a single-season in UVA history.
• Virginia tacked on three more runs in the second to open up a 10-0 advantage, two scored on a two-run double by O’Ferrall.
• Rubin keyed a five-run rally in the sixth with a two-run homer over the left field wall. He’s the fourth UVA freshman to leave the ballpark this season. Saucke plated the first run of the inning with a triple to right field and scored on a single by Tuft.
• Six Virginia pitchers did not give up an earned run in the contest. Starter Matthew Buchanan fanned four batters in four innings. The Cavaliers pieced together the remainder of the game with Alex Greene, Jacob Hodorovich, Mason Dillow, Devin Ortiz and Avery Mabe who each threw an inning.

FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN O’CONNOR

“The offense, I don’t know what to say. To come out and have 10 runs after two innings. I told the team after the game, sometimes you can take winning for granted because it doesn’t ever come as easy as maybe it appears. Even in that first inning there was some bloops that dropped in for us, I think three of them, we scored six runs on three hits. That was a result of our guy being patient at the plate not swinging at things off the off the plate and certainly kind of put it out of reach after it after two innings. I thought Buck (Matthew Buchanan) did another great job, another quality start for us and it was good to see all those guys get some work in out of the bullpen. I thought Colin Tuft was really good. Colin hasn’t played much in the last five or six games, some other guys have stepped up and done the job and he played a lot early, and he got the opportunity to start today in left field and had three great at bats and was aggressive. It’s just great to see that on a day that maybe (someone like) Devin Ortiz doesn’t perform, and there’s going to be days they’re not going to perform, that there’s other guys, even these rookies, these first years that are stepping up and delivering big hits and doing a nice job.”

UP NEXT: Virginia will hit the road this weekend for a three-game series at Wake Forest beginning Friday (March 25). First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. while Saturday’s is slated for 4 p.m. and the finale will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will air on ACCNX.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Virginia scored 10 or more runs for the 15th time this season. Virginia has scored 10 or more runs in all but one home game this season, outscoring opponents at Disharoon Park, 211-45.
• The six-run first and the five-run fifth marked 15th and 16th time in 21 games the UVA has scored five or more runs in a single inning. It marked the first time UVA has posted five or more in their first trip to the plate.
• Saucke extended his hit streak to 19 games, already the longest by a UVA freshman in the last 22 years. It’s the longest hit streak by any Cavalier since Dan Grovatt strung together 19-straight games with a hit to start the 2009 season.
• Freshman Mason Dillow pitched a scoreless seventh inning, making his collegiate debut.
• The Cavaliers home win streak, which dates back to last season, is the third-longest active streak in college baseball (Tennessee – 23 games*; North Carolina – 19 games*). *Tuesday results not included.