No. 17 Virginia Concludes Homestand With 7-3 Win Over William & Mary

The Cavaliers scored three runs in the first and sixth innings and beat the Tribe 7-3 to remain undefeated on the season

The No. 17 Virginia baseball team wrapped up a nine-game homestand by picking up a 7-3 victory over William & Mary on Tuesday afternoon at Disharoon Park to remain undefeated on the season. 

Connelly Early got the start on the mound for the Cavaliers and gave up a solo home run to Joe Delossantos in the top of the first, but settled in nicely after that, holding the Tribe scoreless for the next four innings. 

Virginia quickly responded in the bottom of the first after going down 1-0. Ethan O'Donnell got on board with a one-out single and then scored on a double from Jake Gelof. Kyle Teel came up next and doubled to right field to bring home Gelof. Teel advanced to third on a wild pitch and then came home on a groundout from Casey Saucke to make it 3-1. 

Virginia's lead remained at 3-1 for the next four innings as neither team scored until the sixth inning. The Tribe got back on the board on another solo home run off of Early, this time from Ben Williamson, but the Cavaliers responded with three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Ethan Anderson hit a leadoff single and came around to score on a double from Harrison Didawick. Luke Hanson then hit a deep fly ball to left center field that was dropped by the William & Mary center fielder on the warning track, allowing Didawick to score and Hanson to get to third. Ethan O'Donnell managed to bring Hanson in with a sacrifice fly to center field to make it 6-2. 

After a scoreless seventh, Virginia added one more run in the bottom of the eighth as the freshmen duo of Didawick and Hanson combined again to produce a Cavalier run. Didawick drove a ball into left field and stretched it into a triple and Hanson singled up the middle to score Didawick. 

Connelly Early went six innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits and striking out six batters. Freshman Kevin Jaxel pitched a scoreless seventh, striking out two batters, and Jake Berry pitched a scoreless eighth inning. 

Jay Woolfolk came on in the ninth inning and didn't have his sharpest stuff, giving up a double and a walk to start the inning. William & Mary scored a run as Cole Ragone hit a grounder to third base that Gelof immediately threw home to try to get the lead runner, but Kyle Teel couldn't hang on to make the tag. Woolfolk did well to work himself out of the jam after that, striking out the next batter, getting Ragone out at second on a grounder to first base, and then recording another strikeout on three pitches to end the game, securing the 7-3 win for Virginia. 

Now 12-0 on the season, Virginia will begin ACC play with a three-game series on the road at No. 14 North Carolina this weekend in Chapel Hill. Game 1 is set for Friday at 6pm. 

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