Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The Virginia baseball team rallied from a two-run deficit on Saturday afternoon to take the weekend series over VCU with a walkoff, 7-6 victory in 11 innings at Disharoon Park.
After forcing extras by scoring a pair of two-out runs in the ninth, Noah Murray scored the winning run in the 11th on a VCU fielding error. Virginia’s Tyler Kapa picked up the victory for the Cavaliers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Following a scoreless top of the first, AJ Gracia put the Cavaliers out front 1-0 with a solo home run to left field. It was his team-leading fifth of the year and his first at Disharoon Park.
UVA starter Max Stammel faced the minimum through three innings before VCU’s Cade Touse doubled down the line in left to open the fourth inning. Touse scored two batters later on an RBI groundout that tied the contest at 1-1.
Virginia (9-1) answered quickly by plating a trio of runs in the home half of the frame, highlighted by Sam Harris’ third home run of the season and a two-run single off the bat of Antoino Perrotta.
VCU climbed to within a run at 4-3 in the fifth when the Rams (4-6) plated a pair of runs on a bases-loaded two-out single to left. The Rams tied the contest at 4-4 in the seventh on an infield single following a Cavalier fielding error. VCU then took its first lead of the game at 5-4 in the seventh when Michael Petite reached on a two-base error to open the inning before scoring on a RBI single to centerfield later in the inning.
In the top of the ninth, VCU tacked on another run with a solo home run from Teige Lethert to extend its lead to 6-4.
The drama ramped up in the home half of the ninth when Harrison Didawick and Murray each reached base via walks. With two outs, Noah Jouras singled home Didawick to bring the Hoos to within one run.
Murray scored one at-bat later to force extras when the VCU second baseman committed a fielding error on a ball off the bat of Eric Becker. Out of the bullpen, Kapa tossed two scoreless innings during extras to set up the UVA walk-off in the bottom of the 11th.
In the home half of the 11th, Murray worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a Kyle Johnson sac bunt. Just like in the ninth, Becker put a ball in play that the VCU defense could not handle and committed an error, allowing Murray to scamper home from second for the series win.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Since the start of the 2021 season, Virginia is now 41-7 in February.
- Head Coach Chris Pollard matches Brian O’Connor’s 9-1 start in 2004 for the best start in a UVA head coaching tenure in program history.
- Dating back to last season, Virginia is riding a 15-game home winning streak—the longest current streak by a Power Four school.
- Saturday’s walk-off was UVA’s first of the season and the second during the 15-game home win streak.
- UVA starter Max Stammel tied his career-high with five strikeouts in a career-long outing of 4.2 innings pitched.
UP NEXT
Virginia will head to Richmond on Sunday in search of the weekend sweep against VCU. The Cavaliers will hand the ball to freshman John Paone, while the Rams are slated to throw Fenix DiGiacomo. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at The Diamond and will be carried on ESPN+.
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