CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After falling behind early, Virginia Tech scored five unanswered runs between the fourth and seventh frames, but Virginia battled back to plate two in the eighth and two in the ninth and get the walk-off victory and win the ACC series on Sunday afternoon at Davenport Field at Disharoon Park.
In the ninth, Brendan Rivoli hit an RBI triple to plate the tying run and with the Hokies using a five-man infield which was also drawn-in, Cameron Comer notched his fourth hit of the day – a single back through the middle – to give the home team the win.
After falling behind 2-0 on a two-run home run by Alex Tappen in the home half of the third, the Hokies answered back in the top of the fourth with three runs.
Tech (13-17, 6-9 ACC) tied the game on Sam Fragale's two-run home run, his third of the season, then took a one-run lead on a two-out RBI single from Luke Horanski that drove home Jack Owens.
Two more two-out RBI singles increased the Hokies' lead to 5-2, with Tom Stoffel plating Fragale in the sixth and Nick Owens scoring Joe Freiday, Jr. in the seventh.
Virginia (18-14, 6-9 ACC) had several opportunities to cut into its deficit, but Tech stopped them each time. The Cavaliers left the bases loaded in the fifth, grounded into a double play in the sixth (with one out and runners on the corners) and left two on the seventh.
However, in the eighth, the Cavaliers' Tanner Morris drove home two with an RBI single to pull the home team to within one before getting the tying and game-winning runs in the ninth.
The Tech-UVA baseball series is presented by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of Virginia Tech Athletics and the University of Virginia Athletics. The score for the "Commonwealth Clash" is 7.5-6.5 in favor of Virginia Tech after the Cavaliers picked up a point for the series win. Learn more about Virginia529 and this competition at www.thecommonwealthclash.com.
Inside the Box
- Nic Enright – retired only batter he faced – is now a perfect 8-for-8 in retiring the first batter he's faced in a game this season (out of the bullpen).
- Fragale – home run, third of the season, 26th of his career; two hits, eighth multi-hit game of the season, 46th of his career; two RBI, seventh multi-RBI game of the season, 38th of his career; two runs, fourth multi-run scoring game of the season, 23rd of his career.
- Andrew McDonald – one scoreless inning, 20 for the season, 74 for his career; also had a double play turned behind him, team-leading fifth of the season, and 19th in his career.
- Nick Menken – outfield assist, his team-leading third of the season.
- Graham Seitz – with runs in the eighth, his scoreless innings pitch streak ended at a career-long 9.0 straight.
- Ian Seymour – four scoreless innings pitched, pushing season total to 38, tying for the team lead with Connor Coward; ran consecutive scoreless innings pitched streak to 13.0 before third-inning home run, the team's second longest streak this season (McDonald, 15.1); three strikeouts, 54 for the season, second-best.
Additional Notes
- Since starting ACC play back in 2005, Fragale is now third all-time in home runs hit at the school, behind Andrew Rash's 42 (2010-13) and Tyler Horan's 29 (2011-2013).
- Tech turned two double plays in the game and now has 24 this season
- Tech and UVA have now faced each other 187 times, with the Cavaliers holding a 101-86 edge in the all-time series.
Up Next
- Tech has a busy week ahead, playing five games in six days. The Hokies host Marshall on Tuesday at English Field at Union Park to start it off – first pitch is set for 4 p.m. Wednesday, they go to Charleston, West Virginia for a game versus Marshall before returning to Blacksburg for a three-game series against Louisville starting Friday.
Tickets
- For fans looking to attend the three-game ACC series against Louisville – or any of Tech's upcoming ACC contests, please be aware tickets are required for all ACC games at English Field at Union Park. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets in advance.