Baseball: UVA’s ACC Tournament run ends with 12-7 loss to FSU

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Fourth-seeded Virginia had its four-game win streak snapped with a 12-7 loss to fifth-seeded Florida State in a Pool D elimination game on Friday at the 2024 ACC Baseball Tournament in Charlotte. The Seminoles advance to the semifinals to play Wake Forest.

UVA (41-15) and Florida State combined for 12 runs in a fateful seventh inning. Unfortunately for Virginia, it was Florida State (41-14) who plated seven of them. The seven-run outburst put the Seminoles up 11-2 and was tied for the most runs in a single inning by a UVA opponent this season.

The Cavaliers hit four home runs in the contest matching the program’s single-game ACC Tournament record set in 2021. Three of the long balls came in a five-run seventh inning, the third time this season UVA has hit three home runs in a single inning.

Griff O’Ferrall was 3 for 5 with a home run, two runs scored and an RBI. Casey Saucke homered for the fourth-straight game in a 1-for-4 effort at the plate.

HOW IT HAPPENED

It was the Cavaliers who held the initial lead in the contest thanks to a pair of two out hits in the third inning, the first by O’Ferrall and then an RBI double by Bobby Whalen to give UVA a 1-0 advantage. Whalen was 4 for 7 (.571) with two doubles, three runs scored and two RBI in the ACC Tournament play.

The lone Cavalier lead did not last long as FSU scored two runs in its ensuing at bat on a two-RBI single by ACC Player of the Year James Tibbs III. The Seminoles added two more runs in the fifth and had a 4-1 lead after five innings.

O’Ferrall halved the Florida State lead with a solo homer in the sixth inning, his fifth of the season.

The Seminoles broke the game open in the top of the seventh, scoring seven runs on seven hits. Six of the seven runs scored came with two outs.

Two-run home runs by Ethan Anderson and Luke Hanson in the bottom half of the seventh made it a five-run game. Casey Saucke hit his second homer of the tournament to make it 11-7 in favor of Florida State.

FSU reliever Brennen Oxford pitched the final three innings, allowing only the Saucke homer to close out his fifth save of the season.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• The five-run seventh inning marked the 21st time this season UVA has scored five or more runs in an inning.
• Ethan Anderson extended his reached base streak to 28 games the longest active streak on the team.
• UVA starting pitcher Joe Savino faced the minimum over the first three innings and sat down the first six batters of the game. The righthander pitched into the fifth inning for the third-straight start. He fanned four batters over his 4.2 innings of work.

UP NEXT

The 2024 NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Monday with a live selection show at noon on ESPN2. The 16 regional host sites will be announced via NCAA social media and the ESPN bottom line beginning at 8:30 p.m. EST on Sunday.