Baseball: Cavaliers avoid sweep with 14-11 win against Hurricanes

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Posted on Sunday, Mar. 10, 2024, 9:21 pm

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Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Photo: UVA Athletics

In a game that produced a combined 25 total runs and 12 extra-base hits, it was an infield single in the top of the ninth that proved to be the difference in UVA’s 14-11 win over Miami on Sunday.

Virginia (12-3, 1-2 ACC) recorded its first ACC win of the season. With two outs and the scored tied at 11 in the ninth, Henry Ford singled home Griff O’Ferrall on ball that traveled a little more than 70 feet rolling into no man’s land between third base and the pitcher’s mound. Harrison Didawick followed with a two-run double to give the Cavaliers a three-run cushion.

Freshman Matt Augustin was credited with his first career win after pitching 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. He struck out the final two batters with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to keep the score tied at 11.

Miami (9-6, 2-1) loaded the bases again in the ninth but Jack O’Connor induced a game-ending groundout and recorded his first career save.

It marked UVA’s first win at Miami since April 24, 2016 and snapped an eight-game road losing streak against the Hurricanes.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Virginia had two, four-run leads in the contest and eventually trailed 11-10 after seven innings. Casey Saucke hit the second of his two home runs to even the game at 11 in the top of the eighth inning. Saucke matched a career-best with four hits in the contest, scored three runs and drove in three more.

Just as it did in the first two games of the series, Virginia scored the first four runs of the contest. All four came with two outs in the second inning, two on a two-out RBI single by Anthony Stephan.

With the game tied at six after five innings, Virginia once again went up by four runs with a four-run rally in the sixth. Ford doubled home a pair with shot in the right center field gap and was followed by Saucke’s first homer of the contest, a two-run shot to make it 10-6.

Miami did not go away quietly and scored the next five runs and took the lead on a Lucas Costello solo homer in the bottom of the seventh.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

  • Saucke extended his reached base streak to 24 games.
  • Eight of the nine Cavalier batters recorded a hit in the contest including multi-hit efforts from O’Ferrall (3 for 6), Ford (2 for 6), Saucke (4 for 5), Anderson (3 for 5) and Hanson (2 for 5).
  • Virginia collected 17 hits, the third time in the last four games it has collected 17 or more hits.
  • Starting pitcher Jay Woolfolk struck out a career-high six batters

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers return home for a five-game homestand, beginning Tuesday with a non-conference tilt against William & Mary. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.