Baseball: UVA bats catch fire in 24-5 opening-day win over Navy

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Posted on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, 9:13 pm

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Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Photo: UVA Athletics

No. 19 Virginia won its fifth-straight season opener with a 24-5 victory over Navy in seven innings at Disharoon Park on Friday. The 24 runs were the most by the Cavaliers on opening day since 1901. A previously agreed upon 10-run rule ended the game after seven innings.

Virginia (1-0) scored in all six turns at the plate and erupted for 14 runs in the fifth inning, the most by a Virginia team in a single inning under Brian O’Connor (2004-present). The Cavaliers collected 20 hits in the contest including home runs from Kyle Teel, Casey Saucke, Ethan O’Donnell and Harrison Didawick.

In his first start for the Cavaliers, graduate transfer Brian Edgington earned the win after 4.1 innings of two-run baseball. He did not walk a batter and fanned three.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Virginia scored the first nine runs of the contest before Navy (0-1) posted a pair of runs in top of the fifth to knock Edgington out of the game. The Cavaliers responded by sending 19 batters to the plate in the bottom of the frame.
  • After scoring two runs on a Navy defensive miscue in the first, the Cavaliers tacked on three more in the second inning. The inning was highlighted by a two-run, opposite field homer by Ethan O’Donnell in his second UVA at bat.
  • Kyle Teel, the second batter of the third inning, belted a solo home run over the right field wall, his 16th home run of his career to extend the Cavalier lead to 6-0.
  • Jake Gelof made it 7-0 with an RBI double to right field and scored on the first home run of the season by sophomore Casey Saucke in the fourth inning.
  • Seeking his first collegiate hit, Harrison Didawick powered the big fifth inning with a two-run homer to right center. It was one of two hits he had in the inning.
  • The fifth inning rally featured the first hits in a UVA uniform by Didawick, Chris Baker, Henry Godbout Luke Hanson and Travis Reifsnider.
  • Connelly Early came on in relief of Edgington and induced an inning-ending double play in the fifth. He pitched 1.2 innings allowed two runs and struck out three.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

  • The previous single-game high for runs in a single inning in the O’Connor era was 11 in the third inning of a 2016 meeting against VMI.
  • The 14 runs in the fifth inning were also the most ever in an inning played at Disharoon Park.
  • Friday marked the 59th time in 135 years that UVA has scored 20 runs in a game.
  • The opening day record for runs in a game came in 1901, a 29-6 win over Bellevue HS. It is one of three times UVA has scored a school single-game record, 29 runs in a game.
  • Virginia has won five-straight season openers and improves to 15-5 on opening day under O’Connor.
  • First years Hanson, Didawick and Godbout all made their collegiate debuts.
  • The Cavaliers played Navy for the first time since 2011 and improve to 15-10 against the Midshipmen. UVA has outscored Navy 70-12 in the last five meetings.

UP NEXT

Virginia will travel to Wilmington, N.C. to complete the Hughes Bros. Challenge at UNCW. The Cavaliers are scheduled to play Ohio on Saturday at 1 p.m. and the host Seahawks on Sunday at 3 p.m.