UVA posts sixth win in a row with 16-7 beatdown of Richmond as bats stay hot

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Photo: UVA Athletics

Virginia notched its sixth consecutive win with a 16-7 win over Richmond on Tuesday evening at Disharoon Park. The Cavalier offense produced 10 or more runs for the sixth time in the last eight games.

The Cavaliers (10-3) erased a 3-2 deficit, Richmond’s only lead of the day, in the fourth inning when freshman Jimmy Sullivan blasted a two-run, opposite-field homer over the left field wall to put the Cavaliers up 4-3. Virginia went on to score three more in the frame, the first of two, five-run outbursts in the contest against the Spiders (2-10). Virginia has five rallies of five or more runs this season, four of them have occurred in the last four games.

“When you have one midweek game it’s big to gain some momentum going into our opening ACC weekend,” head coach Brian O’Connor said. “It was important for us to play well tonight and I thought we did. I thought Matt Wyatt got us off to a great start from a pitching standpoint and then to have 18 hits in a college baseball game, you don’t see that very often. I thought our guys were really locked in offensively.”

Sullivan was one of six multi-hit performers for the Cavaliers after he went 2 for 5 with two RBI and two runs scored. The home run was the second in nine plate appearances. Eight of the nine Virginia hitters in the lineup were credited with a base hit. The 18 hits for Virginia were the second-most in a game this season.

Senior Logan Michaels led the way with a career-high four hits, including a pair of RBI doubles. He now leads the team with five two-baggers. Freshman Max Cotier collected his second three-hit performance in four games and was 3 for 4 with a triple, three runs scored and two RBI. He came into the game tied for the ACC lead in triples.

Junior Marc Lebreux extended his hit streak to six games with a 3 for 4, two run, two-RBI effort at the plate. Nic Kent and Devin Ortiz rounded of the multi-hit performers with two hits each.

Making his first collegiate start on the mound, right-hander Matt Wyatt tossed three scoreless innings, scattered two hits and struck out one while walking none. Sophomore Blake Bales was credited with this second win of the year after taking over in the fourth inning. He struck out two in 1.2 innings of work.

Pitching in his first game since Feb. 23, senior Paul Kosanovich retired all six batters he faced in perfect sixth and seventh innings including two via the strikeout. Freshman Jacob Hodorovich struck out the final two of the three batters he faced in the top of the ninth to seal the Cavalier victory.

Virginia opens up Atlantic Coast Conference play this weekend with a three-game series against No. 7 NC State. The opener is scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. and will be followed by game two on Saturday at 1 p.m. The series concludes on Sunday with a nationally-televised game on ACC Network at 3 p.m.

Box Score

Additional Notes

  • Virginia improved to 9-1 on its current 15-game home stand.
  • The Cavaliers have won 21 of the last 22 games against non-conference opponents at Disharoon Park.
  • Sophomore Zack Gelof scored a career-high four times against Richmond on Tuesday, the most since Alex Tappen scored four times against Georgia Tech on May 14, 2018.
  • Virginia has homered in five-straight games and all but two of the 10 games at home this season.