Hokie ClubCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Locked in a 2-2 tie heading to bottom of the eighth inning, No. 1-ranked Virginia scored two runs on three hits to claim an eventual 4-2 victory over 20th-ranked Virginia Tech in ACC baseball action at Davenport Field on Friday night.
The Hokies fell to 24-12 overall and 8-8 in the ACC with the loss, while the Cavaliers improved to 28-8 with an 11-5 conference mark.
It only took the Hokies five pitches in the first inning to open the game’s scoring. Leadoff hitter and catcher Steve Domecus sent the first pitch he saw from Virginia starter Danny Hultzen to center field for his first triple of the season, and center fielder Sean Ryan quickly poked a 2-1 pitch to center to score Domecus and give the Hokies a 1-0 lead.
Virginia used the help of four walks issued by Tech starter Justin Wright in the bottom of the third inning to take a 2-1 lead. Left fielder John Barr scored the first run on a bases-loaded walk drawn by third baseman Steven Proscia, while second baseman Phil Gosselin, who provided the frame’s only hit with a double, scored the second run on another bases-load walk drawn by right fielder Dan Grovatt.
There were no runs scored from then until the top of the eighth, when Tech tied things up thanks to an opposite-field solo home run to right-center by left fielder Andrew Rash. It was the second home run of the redshirt freshman’s young career.
The Cavaliers got that run right back, plus one more, in the bottom half of the eighth to go up 4-2. Grovatt led off the inning with a single off of Tech reliever Ben Rowen, before stealing second and moving to third when Domecus’ throw from behind the plate sailed into center field. First baseman John Hicks promptly sent a single to right field that scored Hicks, and later moved to third on a double by center fielder Jarrett Parker. Hicks would eventually score on an RBI fielder’s choice ground out by Gosselin.
Virginia closer Kevin Arico pitched the ninth to record his nation-leading 12th save, while reliever Tyler Wilson (4-2) was credited with the win after tossing a scoreless eighth. Hultzen finished his seven-plus innings of work with 10 strikeouts and no walks, while allowing seven hits.
Rowen (2-1) took his first loss after allowing just his third and fourth earned runs of the season. Wright gave up two runs on just four hits over 6.1 innings, though he walked a career-high six batters. He also struck out five.
Rash, Ryan and right fielder Austin Wates all had two hits each for the Hokies, who struck out a season-high 13 times as a team. Gosselin and Proscia lead the Cavaliers with two hits apiece.
The two teams are scheduled to resume the three-game series on Saturday beginning at 4 p.m.