In the opening game of the 2024 College World Series Friday, Virginia fell to North Carolina by a score of 3-2. Sophomore outfielder Harrison Didawick and graduate outfielder Bobby Whalen cratered, as both went 0-4 with no RBI. The Cavaliers (46-16, 18-12 ACC) could not deliver clutch hits and fell victim to the rival Tar Heels (48-14, 22-8 ACC) in a frustrating defear. Now, Virginia is one loss away from being eliminated.
As per usual, junior infielder Griff O’Ferrall led off the afternoon. The speedy shortstop was hit by freshman pitcher Jason DeCaro, putting O’Ferrall on first base. Junior utility player Ethan Anderson then struck out, but junior outfielder Casey Saucke drew a walk to regain some momentum. A subsequent sacrifice fly from freshman infielder Henry Ford advanced O'Ferrall, and Saucke later stole second base. Graduate catcher Jacob Ference walked to load the bases for Didawick, who struck out to end the inning fruitless on the scoreboard. However, DeCaro notably had to labor through a 30-pitch inning in the summer heat.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Evan Blanco — the ace of Coach Brian O’Connor’s pitching staff — got the starting nod against North Carolina. Blanco quickly induced a groundout from star junior outfielder Vance Honeycutt but then allowed a single to sophomore outfielder Casey Cook. A double down the left field line by senior infielder Parks Harber put the Cavaliers in some trouble, as a following sacrifice groundout from graduate outfielder Anthony Donofrio gave the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead. Blanco was able to limit the damage though, forcing a flyout to center field.
In the top of the second inning, three Virginia batters got out immediately. A swift shutdown frame from Blanco was needed to get the Cavalier offense back to the plate, and the southpaw delivered by retiring three straight North Carolina hitters after giving up a leadoff single.
Anderson got Virginia’s offense humming again with a single in the top of the third inning, and Saucke joined in with a double. With two runners in scoring position, Ford hit an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. A strikeout by Ference once again put Didawick in a critical two-out situation, and the sophomore was unable to drive in runs. However, by this point DeCaro had thrown a staggering 60 pitches across just three innings — prompting activity in the Tar Heel bullpen.
In the bottom of the third inning, Blanco retired Honeycutt on just one pitch. A ground-rule double by Cook and a walk by Harber would inject some life into the North Carolina offense, but Blanco shut the door and recorded two straight outs.
Sophomore infielder Henry Godbout began the top of the fourth with a single, but a fielder’s choice groundout by freshman infielder Eric Becker and strikeout by Whalen quelled Virginia’s offensive effort. An O’Ferrall walk provided a brief spark, but the Cavaliers could not take advantage.
North Carolina made some noise in the bottom of the fourth inning via freshman catcher Luke Stevenson hitting a leadoff single, but Blanco responded by retiring three straight Tar Heel batters. Back on offense, a Saucke walk marked the end of DeCaro’s afternoon. North Carolina brought on senior pitcher Matt Poston in relief to face Ford. The talented freshman flew out to center field, and Ference then hit a fly out to right field. Didawick then came up to bat with a runner on base for the third time in the game but grounded out.
Blanco breezed through the bottom of the fifth, only allowing a walk while striking out Honeycutt, Cook and Harber. With Virginia back on offense, Godbout drew a leadoff walk and Becker cranked a double deep into left field to put runners on second and third with no outs. A prime opportunity awaited Whalen, but he struck out. However, a sacrifice fly by O’Ferrall would push a run across to give a 2-1 lead to the Cavaliers, and Becker advanced to third.
The Tar Heels then pulled Poston, replacing him with sophomore pitcher Dalton Pence, who escaped the inning by forcing an Anderson groundout. With a one-run lead in tow, Blanco quickly disposed of three straight North Carolina batters. Despite Blanco’s strong start and the Tar Heels quickly retreating into their bullpen, the score remained a razor-thin 2-1 advantage. The Cavaliers just could not seem to break the game open offensively.
In the top of the seventh inning, Ference was hit by a pitch and claimed first base. For the fourth time of the game, Didawick was up to bat with a runner on base. Ference stole second to get into scoring position, but Didawick again failed to produce. Didawick’s 0-4 afternoon was not ideal, but stranding seven base runners was absolutely dismal — that lack of delivery was a major factor in why the Cavaliers failed to add to their lead.
Back on the mound, Blanco surrendered a single to graduate infielder Alex Madera, and a sacrifice bunt by senior infielder Colby Wilkerson moved Madera to second. A lengthy at-bat for Honeycutt ultimately resulted in an out, but a Cook single scored Madera, tying the game at 2-2. Didawick’s rough day continued in the field, as a lousy throw allowed Cook to advance to second base.
Blanco’s time on the mound ended in the bottom of the seventh inning, as junior pitcher Chase Hungate took the reins with two outs. 6.2 innings pitched and only two runs allowed was a solid outing, but Blanco would not factor into the game’s decision. Hungate retired Harber via a groundout, getting Virginia’s offense back on the field with a chance to retake the lead.
A quick flyout by Godbout sent the Cavaliers to their final five outs. Sophomore infielder Luke Hanson was then called upon to pinch hit for Becker. Hanson drew three straight balls but ultimately struck out looking. Whalen then hit a flyout on the first pitch, and Virginia came up empty in the top eighth inning.
In the inning’s bottom half, Hanson replaced Becker while sophomore utility player Aidan Teel replaced the struggling Didawick. Entering the game’s final stretch, Hungate quickly induced back-to-back groundouts. Teel then caught a flyout to send the Cavaliers into the top of the ninth inning in need of late-game heroics.
Unfortunately, O’Ferrall, Anderson and Saucke were all rapidly retired in succession, placing a world of pressure on Hungate and the Virginia defense to extend the 2-2 affair into extra innings. Senior infielder Jackson Van De Brake came on to pinch hit for senior designated hitter Alberto Osuna to begin the bottom of the ninth, and he hit a double down the right field line to put the Cavaliers on the brink of defeat.
Hungate induced a shallow infield pop-up from Wilkerson before facing Honeycutt in the biggest at-bat of the game. With the fate of the season on the line, Hungate hung a slider too high over the plate and Honeycutt delivered the dagger for North Carolina. Honeycutt was previously 0-4, but got a hit when the Tar Heels needed it most.
Hungate was previously 7-1 with a 3.71 ERA before being tagged with a loss in Friday’s soul-crushing defeat. In the end, Virginia’s loss came down to leaving too many runners on base in big moments and making an uncharacteristic, costly mistake in the field. With another performance like Friday’s, the Cavaliers will be heading back to Charlottesville early and empty-handed.
“[We have to] be better, period,” O’Connor said. “End of story. That [result] is not Virginia baseball.”
O'Connor claimed that intentionally walking Honeycutt was not an option with Cook and his two doubles on deck. Still, there were two bases empty and Virginia could have walked both Honeycutt and Cook. Virginia will be thinking about that ninth inning blunder for awhile.
The Cavaliers have now lost three straight College World Series games — each by one run dating back to 2023 — but must quickly rebound and keep their season alive in an elimination game. Virginia will face No. 8 Florida State Sunday at 2 p.m. eastern time in the loser’s bracket on ESPN.
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