Season-High 14 Hits Helps ‘Hoos Complete Sweep of Villanova

Courtesy UVA Sports Media Relations

The Virginia baseball team won its fourth straight game and completed the series sweep Sunday against Villanova with a 10-2 victory at Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers (4-3) scored nine unanswered runs beginning in the sixth inning to improve to 4-0 at home.

Virginia racked up 20 hits, including the season’s first three home runs, and climbed to the .500 mark Friday with a 7-2 win in game one and a 7-3 victory in game two of a doubleheader against the Wildcats (0-6).

The ‘Hoos trailed twice in the contest thanks to a pair of Villanova solo homers in the first and sixth innings. Virginia took its first lead of the contest in the bottom of the sixth with a five-run outburst, its fourth-straight game with an inning of five runs. The Cavaliers came from behind to win all three games in the series, never trailing by more than a run.

Junior Logan Michaels led the Cavalier offense, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored. He went 5-for-7 in the series and has a hit in each of his five starts on the year. He scored the go-ahead run in the big sixth inning on a Jack Weiller sacrifice fly.

Michaels was one of five Cavaliers to put fourth multi-hit efforts. Freshman Zack Gelof went 2-for-4 with a run scored, two RBI and two stolen bases. He leads the team with nine RBI and four stolen bases. Junior Cameron Simmons, Brendan Rivoli, and Cameron Comer each had two-hit performances for Virginia.

On the mound, junior Paul Kosanovich earned his first win, relieving starting pitcher Noah Murdock in the sixth inning. Kosanovich retired all six batters he faced and stranded a Villanova runner in scoring position in the sixth.

Between Kosanovich, Riley Wilson and Chesdin Harrington, Villanova did not record a hit over the final four innings. Wilson struck out the side in the eighth and Harrington faced the minimum in the ninth, aided by a caught stealing from Drew Hamrock.

Murdock allowed a pair of solo home runs, including one to leadoff the game and a go-ahead shot to start the sixth. The right-hander fanned seven batters, allowing just the two runs over five innings of work. He is tied for the team lead, with 12 strikeouts on the season.

The three-game sweep was Virginia’s first since April 7-9, 2017 when it took all three from Pittsburgh at home. Weiller delivered for the Cavaliers off the bench again and is now 2-for-2 with two sacrifice flies and three RBI as a pinch-hitter.

Sophomore Devin Ortiz picked up his first hit of the season, a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the eighth. He came around to scored game’s 9th run on a Nate Eikhoff single. Comer drew his ninth walk in Sunday’s contest and has been issued a free pass in all four of his starts this season. As a team, Virginia stole four bases in the series finale, the first time its swiped four bags in a game since April 19, 2017 when it tallied five vs. James Madison.

Virginia came into Friday without a long ball on the season and blasted three in two games against the Wildcats. Simmons and Alex Tappen each went yard in game one while a solo shot by Tanner Morris tied game two up at three in the bottom of the eighth.

Friday’s game-one starter, Griff McGarry, established career highs in both innings pitched (6.0) and strikeouts (9) in his second start of the season. He was credited with his first collegiate win and recorded the first quality start of his UVA tenure, allowing just two hits and an earned run. Both Wildcat hits off him ricocheted off the second base bag, including the game’s first hit, a two-out single that scored a run in the top of the third.

In Friday’s second game, with the ‘Hoos down 3-2, Morris tied the game with one swing on a solo shot that landed between the right field scoreboard and the Virginia bullpen. The homer was his third of his career. A batter later, Rivoli hustled for a one-out double to left and eventually came around on an Eikhoff single through the right side, giving Virginia the lead for good.

Virginia will continue its home stand with a non-conference tilt against William & Mary on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The contest will air live on ACC Network Extra.