Baseball: No. 8 Virginia holds off late Georgetown rally to win, 6-4

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

No. 8 Virginia recorded its second victory of the week with a 6-4 win over Georgetown at Disharoon Park on Wednesday. The Cavaliers were victorious in contests over High Point and Georgetown in the midweek, extending their streak to 17-straight home victories over non-conference opponents.

The Cavaliers (19-2) scored in five of the first six turns at the plate that included a pair of runs on solo homers by Jake Gelof in the first inning and Kyle Teel in the third inning. Second year Griff O’Ferrall went 3 for 5 with a double and three RBI in the contest.

First-year righthander Kevin Jaxel was credited with the win after he retired all eight batters he faced and struck out six of them. He totaled 2.2 innings of relief and recorded his first collegiate victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Cavaliers got the scoring started for the 12th time this year in the first inning. With two outs, Jake Gelof lined breaking ball over the left field wall, his team-leading, seventh home run of the season to give UVA a 1-0 advantage.
• Georgetown responded in the top of the second with a two-out RBI single up the middle by Michael Eze.
• Virginia recaptured the lead in the bottom of the second when Justin Rubin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. It was his seventh RBI of the season.
• Kyle Teel launched his third home run in the last four games with a solo shot to the opposite field in the third inning. The long ball pushed UVA’s lead to 3-1.
• Griff O’Ferrall delivered a bases loaded, two-run double in the fourth to extend UVA’s lead to 5-1. The double was his sixth of the season. Georgetown brought in reliver Collin Garner to face O’Ferrall and the second year lined the first pitch he saw into the gap in right center.
• O’Ferrall gave the Cavaliers more breathing room in the sixth with a two-out RBI that scored Harrison Didawick.
• Georgetown (11-9) chipped away and made it a three-run ballgame with a two-run homer by Austin Kretzschmar in the seventh. In the ninth, they capitalized on a UVA fielding error to plate an unearned run.
• Kyle Teel helped Jay Woolfolk secure his second save of the year when he threw out Michael Eze attempting to steal for the first out. It was the first time in six tries Eze was caught stealing this season. Woolfolk induced a pop out and a lineout to strand the tying runs on base in the ninth.

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• The home run for Gelof was his 32nd of his career. He is one homer shy of tying Mike Lindner (1987-90) for fourth place on UVA’s career home run list. Gelof is within five of tying the all-time school mark of 37 held by E.J. Anderson (1995-98).
• UVA remains unblemished at home this season, winning all 13 of its games. The Cavaliers have won 14-straight home contests dating back to last season.
• The Cavaliers improve to 21-18 all-time against Georgetown. The two teams played to the exact same score, a 6-4 UVA victory last season at Disharoon Park. UVA has won seven of the last eight against the Hoyas.
• Teel recorded his 11th multi-hit effort by going 2 for 4 with homer and an RBI. He upped his batting average to an ACC-best, .457. He has reached base safely in all 21 games this season.
• Virginia has recorded 19 or more wins in its first 21 games five times in the program’s history – 2009, 2011, 2013, 2022 & 2023.
• UVA has 32 first-inning runs this season, the most of any inning.

UP NEXT

Virginia will play its first three ACC games at home beginning Friday against Florida State. The series opener is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start while first pitch for Saturday and Sunday’s games will be at 1 p.m.