Boston College halts Virginia’s win streak

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Boston College avoided the series sweep with an 8-6 victory over Virginia in the series finale on Saturday at Harrington Athletics Village.

The Eagles (21-28, 10-23 ACC) snapped the Cavaliers’ (27-22, 18-18 ACC) season-long, five-game win streak.

After Virginia broke a 3-3 tie on a Nic Kent (Charlottesville, Va.) solo home run in the fourth, Boston College scored the next five runs to take an 8-4 lead after seven innings. The Cavaliers plated two runs in the eighth and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but the Eagles managed to hold on for the victory.

Kent finished a monster weekend, going 2-for-5 with a double, home run and three RBI in the finale. In three games against Boston College the Virginia shortstop went 6-for-13 (.462) with two home runs, two doubles and nine RBI. The go-ahead homer in the fourth was Kent’s sixth long ball of the year, tied for the second most on the team.

Sophomore Max Cotier (New Milford, Conn.) matched a school record with three doubles in a 4-for-5 effort at the plate. He’s the 31st player in program history and the first since Zack Gelof against Vanderbilt in 2019 to record three doubles in a game. The four hits were also a career-high.

Virginia starting pitcher Nate Savino (Sterling, Va.) suffered his first loss since April 18 after surrendering five runs in 4.1 innings pitched. The lefthander cruised through the first two innings before Boston College posted three runs on its first three hits of the game in the third. Savino exited two batters after surrendering a go-ahead two-run homer to Cody Morissette in the fifth.

The Eagles tacked on three more runs off of a trio of Cavalier relievers over the next two innings including two in the seventh.

The Cavalier offense out-hit the Eagles 13-11 and racked up a season-high eight doubles in the contest. Freshman Kyle Teel (Mahwah, N.J.) was 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. He plated the Cavaliers’ first run on a ground-rule double in the first inning. The first year has reached base safely in 12-straight games.

Junior Zack Gelof (Rehoboth Beach, Del.) and senior Alex Tappen (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.) each extended their hitting streaks to a team-high seven games. Gelof led off the game with his team-best 14th double of the year and Tappen doubled with one out in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate.

Virginia clinched a spot in the ACC Tournament (May 25-30) in Charlotte, N.C. last weekend will await seeding and game times that are expected to be announced at the conclusion of league play on Saturday (May 22).