No. 4 Virginia Beats No. 22 Georgia Tech 13-9 to Even Series

The Cavaliers used a seven-run sixth inning to beat the Yellow Jackets and set up a Sunday rubber match

Matt Newton | Apr 3, 2022

Photo courtesy of Olivia Taylor/Virginia Athletics Communications

After struggling in a 6-4 loss to the Yellow Jackets in the series opener on Friday, the Cavalier bats came alive in game 2 and No. 4 Virginia bounced back with a 13-9 victory over No. 22 Georgia Tech on Saturday evening at Disharoon Park.

For the second game in a row, Georgia Tech got off to a fast start and put up two runs in the top of the first inning. Virginia starter Brian Gursky struggled with location in the early going, walking three batters in the first inning. Kevin Parada drew a walk, advanced to third on a single from Colin Hall, and then stole home to score the game's first run. The Yellow Jackets scored another run as Gursky walked Drew Compton with the bases loaded.

Gursky eventually settled in and delivered four solid innings on the mound, surrendering three earned runs on five hits and striking out four batters.

In the bottom of the second inning, Virginia loaded the bases with one out. Griff O'Ferrall delivered a bases-clearing double down the left field line to put UVA on top and knock Georgia Tech starter Cody Carwile out of the game with one swing of his bat.

HOOS TAKE THE LEAD!! One swing of the bat from Griff O'Ferrall plates THREE!

📺: ACCNX | #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/LbXQ1HTrM7
— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) April 2, 2022

Devin Ortiz then came up and singled to score O'Ferrall to give Virginia a 4-2 lead.

Georgia Tech got one back on a solo home run from Andrew Jenkins in the top of the third, but Virginia responded right away with a run in the bottom half of the inning. Chris Newell hit a leadoff single, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout, and then came home on another groundout off the bat of Colin Tuft to make it 5-3.

UVA stretched the lead in the bottom of the fourth as Alex Tappen hit a triple to the gap in left-center to score Kyle Teel from second base.

Alex Tappen = 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦

6-3 UVA after 4 innings

📺 ACCNX | #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/Sc4xXCqkuL
— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) April 2, 2022

After a scoreless fifth inning, the sixth inning proved to be a pivotal moment in the game. Georgia Tech scored two runs in the top of the inning on a Jadyn Jackson two-run double off of Paul Kosanovich that brough the Yellow Jackets back to within one run.

Knowing that six runs was not going to be enough to beat Georgia Tech, the UVA offense was up to the task in the bottom half of the inning, putting seven runs across the plate to blow the game wide open.

UVA loaded the bases with one out and Alex Tappen took advantage, hitting a two-run single to center field to score Ortiz and Teel. A Casey Saucke walk loaded the bases once again, this time with two outs, and Colin Tuft hit another two-run single to bring home Tappen and Jake Gelof. That hit was the beginning of a streak of four consecutive two-out RBI singles for UVA. Jake Rubin singled to right field to score Saucke, then O'Ferrall singled up the middle to score Tuft, and finally, Teel delivered another single up the middle to score Rubin. When the inning finally came to an end, the Cavaliers had scored seven runs on six hits and stretched their lead from 6-5 to 13-5.

To their credit, the Georgia Tech hitters seemed unfazed by the massive deficit and started chipping away at it right away. Matt Wyatt, who entered the game for Kosanovich to finish the sixth inning, ran into some trouble to start the seventh as he gave up a double, a walk, and a single to load the bases with no outs. He struck out the next batter, but then gave up a run on a fielder's choice groundout and then another run on an RBI single from Jack Rubenstein. Wyatt managed to get out of the inning without any further damage and stranded two Yellow Jackets on base.

Wyatt remained in the game to start the eighth, but gave up a two-run home run to Andrew Jenkins, who hit his second home run of the game to make it 13-9.

Wyatt was lifted for senior lefty Brandon Neeck, who has started six games for the Cavaliers on the mound this season, and proceeded to shut down the Yellow Jackets for the remainder of the game. Neeck punched out each of the five batters he faced in the eighth and ninth, four of which were strikeouts, and closed out the victory for Virginia.

The difference in the game was Virginia's opportunistic hitting, especially with the bases loaded. In Friday's game 1 loss, UVA went 0-4 with the bases loaded, including a horrific sixth inning in which the Cavaliers loaded the bases with no outs, but failed to score a run as they were shut down by Georgia Tech's Zach Maxwell. On Saturday, the Wahoo bats delivered in clutch moments. Virginia went 3-3 with the bases loaded for seven RBIs.

The victory improves Virginia to 24-3 overall and 8-3 in ACC play. More importantly, it gives the Cavaliers the opportunity to keep their undefeated ACC series record intact as they aim to win the series against Georgia Tech in the rubber game on Sunday at 1pm at Disharoon Park.

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