Cavaliers Now

Godbout's Homer Gives Virginia Baseball 7-4 Win Over Kansas State in Game 1

Matt Newton

Henry Godbout celebrates after hitting a three-run home run during the Virginia baseball NCAA Tournament game against Kansas State at Disharoon Park.
Henry Godbout celebrates after hitting a three-run home run during the Virginia baseball NCAA Tournament game against Kansas State at Disharoon Park. / Virginia Athletics

UVA baseball is one game away from Omaha.

Behind seven solid innings from Evan Blanco and a clutch three-run home run from Henry Godbout in the bottom of the seventh inning, No. 12 Virginia (45-15) earned a 7-4 victory over Kansas State (35-25) in the opening game of the Super Regionals at the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament on Friday night at Disharoon Park.

The Wildcats caught a fortuitous break to start the game as Brendan Jones hit a high pop-up that UVA center fielder Bobby Whalen completely lost in the sun, allowing it to fall to the grass and giving Jones a chance to leg out a leadoff triple. Jones then scored on a groundout from Jaden Parsons, giving Kansas State a 1-0 lead just three pitches into the game.

Kansas State extended its lead in the top of the third, as UVA starter Evan Blanco gave up a single and hit a batter to start the frame and then Kaelen Culpepper hit a double into left field to score both runners to make it 3-0.

Virginia, meanwhile, had opportunity after opportunity to respond, but squandered each of those chances. The Cavaliers had runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings and failed to capitalize on any of those chances, with a 5-3 double-play ending the third and Harrison Didawick finding himself stuck at second after hitting a leadoff double in the fourth.

But just as they have all season, the Cavaliers showed that they're not uncomfortable at all playing from behind. Blanco settled in and kept his team within striking distance and eventually, the Virginia bats delivered.

UVA finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth, as Griff O'Ferrall drew a leadoff walk and Bobby Whalen joined him on base on a grounder that went under the glove of Kansas State third baseman Jaden Parsons. Casey Saucke scored O'Ferrall with a sacrifice fly and Ford brought home Whalen with an RBI groundout to make it 3-2.

"Just really proud of our guys that we made an adjustment offensively there in the middle innings," said UVA head coach Brian O'Connor. "I told the team after the game, a lot of times, it's not how the game starts, it's how you finish."

After posting back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the fourth and fifth, Blanco induced a double-play to keep it a one-run game in the sixth. Virginia went back to work in the bottom half, as Henry Godbout and Ethan Anderson both singled to reach base and then moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. O'Ferrall then delivered a line drive into the left field corner and the ball bounced up and hit the foul pole for a ground-rule double, scoring both Godbout and Anderson to give the Cavaliers their first lead of the game.

Kansas State tied the game in the top of the seventh as David Bishop took the 94th pitch from Blanco deep to right-center field for a solo home run. Blanco ultimately finished with four earned runs allowed on five hits and nine strikeouts in seven innings of work.

"Evan Blanco's effort tonight was really special. Your job as the starter, even if you fall behind, is to go out there and keep your team in the ball game," O'Connor said. "He kept us in the game enough and he knows what our offensive capability is that if he goes out there, and even after giving up runs, that he manages innings and pitches deep into the ball game. Lots to be said about the three-run home run by Godbout, but I really feel that Evan Blanco's outing, to get us to the eighth inning, was the difference in the ball game."

Virginia didn't let the game stay tied for long. The Cavaliers put two runners on as Dean hit a batter and walked another and then Henry Godbout crushed a 1-0 pitch from Cole Wisenbaker deep into the bleachers in left field for a three-run home run, igniting the crowd at Disharoon Park as UVA took a 7-4 lead.

"I kind of blacked out, I'm gonna be completely honest with you," Godbout said of his reaction to seeing the ball go over the fence. "It was a pretty special moment."

Virginia has hit a program-record 115 home runs this season, but only two homers so far in four NCAA Tournament games. Both of them have come off the bat of Henry Godbout.

"He takes an incredible amount of pride in his craft and has shown this year, through his lessons last year that he learned, that he can step up in big moments and he's an incredibly talented player," O'Connor said of Godbout.

Angelo Tonas entered the game in the eighth and dealt a 1-2-3 inning and also recorded the first out of the ninth before getting replaced by freshman Matt Augustin, who retired the next two batters to secure UVA's 7-4 win and move the Cavaliers to just one win away from returning to the College World Series.

Game 2 is set for Saturday at 3pm (ESPNU). Both teams will start right-handed pitchers on the mound in game 2, with Jackson Wentworth starting for Kansas State and Jay Woolfolk getting the start for Virginia.

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.