Baseball: No. 10 UVA’s win streak snapped in 7-5 loss to Pack in series opener

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

No. 10 Virginia dropped its first game since April 25 and saw its five-game win streak end in a 7-5 loss to No. 23 NC State at Disharoon Park on Friday.

The Wolfpack (28-18, 14-10 ACC) erased an early 3-1 deficit by scoring straight runs and hung on for the two-run victory. NC State starting pitcher Sam Highfill turned in the quality start (6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 SO) and reliever Jacob Dudan held the Cavalier offense at bay with the three-inning save.

Graduate student Jacob Ference and freshman Eric Becker each homered in the contest to supply all five UVA runs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

NC State grabbed the initial lead in the first inning on an RBI single by the third batter of the game, Alec Makarewicz. Virginia starter Evan Blanco struck out three of the final four batters of the frame and left the bases loaded to limit the damage to a run.

Jacob Ference quickly erased the one-run deficit with his 14th home run of the season, a three-run shot with two outs in the bottom half of the first.

The Wolfpack knotted the game in the fifth capitalizing on a pair of Cavalier miscues. Brandon Butterworth hit the game-tying solo home run with two outs.

NC State took the lead in the top of the seventh with two-out singles from Luke Nixon and Alex Sosa.

For the second-straight game Becker left the yard to the opposite field when his two-run bomb in the eighth put the Cavaliers within two. The homer was his sixth of the season.

The Cavaliers (36-13, 14-11) brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth but Dudan struck out the final batter of the frame, the first of four-straight outs to end the game.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• The two home runs brought UVA’s home run total on the year to 90. The Cavaliers eclipsed the program’s single season mark on Wednesday against George Washington.
• The loss was the first for Virginia after the exam break since 2022 (11-3 loss at Louisville), a span of eight games.
• Griff O’Ferrall passed Ryan Zimmerman on UVA’s career hits list with his 251st base knock. He is in sole possession of eighth place on UVA’s all-time hits list, three hit shy of Steven Proscia’s 254.
• UVA is 4-5 in ACC series openers this season.

UP NEXT

The series continues on Saturday with the middle game of a three-game set. First pitch has been moved to noon. The game was originally scheduled for 4 p.m. The Cavaliers will have righthander Joe Savino (0-1) on the mound and he will be opposed by NC State lefty Dominic Fritton.