Baseball: No. 21 UVA claims series opener against Yellow Jackets, 12-5

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

No. 21 Virginia jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and held on for a 12-5, series-opening win over Georgia Tech on Thursday at Mac Nease Park in Atlanta. The Cavaliers extended their win streak to seven games, the third win streak of seven or more games this season.

Kyle Teel drove in four runs in a 1-for-4, two-run effort at the plate. He gave UVA (42-11, 17-11 ACC) the initial lead with a three-run homer in the first inning, his 10th long ball of the season. Casey Saucke went 3 for 5 with three RBI and Ethan O’Donnell collected three hits including his 11th home run of the season.

Starting pitcher Nick Parker pitched the first five innings and allowed three earned runs to improve to 6-0 on the season. Parker has won his last three decisions and UVA is 10-2 this season in games that he starts.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After two of the first three batters of the game reached base, Teel delivered a big blow with a three-run, no-doubter over the right center field wall.
• Saucke made it 6-0 with one swing of the bat, a three-run, two-out double in the top of the third inning. It was Saucke’s 12th double of the year.
• Georgia Tech (30-23, 12-16) cut the UVA lead in half in the bottom of the third on a bases-clearing double of its own off the bat of Angelo Dispigna.
• O’Donnell went the other way for his 27th career home run to give UVA a 8-3 advantage in the fifth inning.
• The Cavaliers tacked on two more runs in the sixth. Jake Gelof recorded his 80th RBI of the season by drawing a bases loaded walk that scored Henry Godbout. O’Ferrall came around to score on an RBI groundout to third base.
• Freshman reliever Evan Blanco took over for Parker in the sixth and struck out three of the seven batters he faced in two scoreless innings. After Georgia Tech pulled within five, Kevin Jaxel came on and got the final four outs of the game.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Virginia came into the game as the national leader in doubles and added three more to its total on the year. The 145 doubles as a team are the third most in a single season in UVA history (2010 – 160 & 2011 – 148).
• UVA improved to 23-5 on the year when scoring first. The Cavaliers are outscoring opponents in the first inning, 74-31.
• The Cavaliers have won the opening game an ACC series seven times this year.
• Virginia posted double-digit runs in an ACC game for the seventh time this season.
• O’Ferrall scored two runs in the contest, upping his season total to 66, the fourth-most ever in a season in UVA history.

UP NEXT

The series continues on Friday with the middle game of a three-game set from Atlanta. Virginia will have Connelly Early (10-1) on the mound and he will be opposed by righthander Aeden Finateri (2-3) First pitch on ACCNX and WINA is scheduled for 6 p.m.