After an incredibly disappointing season opener that ended in an extra-innings walk-off loss to Michigan, No. 2 Virginia baseball was back in action Saturday down in Puerto Rico to take on Villanova.
Fortunately, both the bats and the defense looked much more alive as the Cavaliers (1-1, 0-0 ACC) were able to defeat the Wildcats (1-1, 0-0 Big East) 3-1.
Starting on the mound for Virginia was sophomore Bryson Moore, who excelled. Moore was able to go 5.2 innings while allowing one hit and striking out six.
For Villanova, graduate pitcher Luke McCollough got the start. He was able to go five innings while allowing five hits and striking out seven, but his performance was not enough — as a shaky Wildcat bullpen could not stop the potent Cavalier offense. For Villanova, junior Graham Moore got the loss — as sophomore Drew Koenen recorded the win for the Cavaliers, despite only throwing 0.1 innings.
The game started off slowly for both Virginia and the Wildcats. Villanova failed to get a hit off of Moore in the first three innings, and it took him just 28 pitches to get out of the first two frames.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers got a baserunner in each of the first two innings, but squandered the opportunity via a double play in the first inning and a deep flyout in the second inning. Virginia showed signs of life by loading the bases in the third inning off a single and two walks, but a groundout from sophomore infielder Henry Ford killed the offensive spark.
While the offense stalled out, the Wildcats gained ground. In the fourth inning, they drew two walks from Moore — which gave them runners on first and second with just one out. However, a swift 4-6-3 double play helped the Cavaliers escape the inning without allowing any runs.
A key contributor in the victory, freshman outfielder James Nunnallee, then stepped up. He recorded his first three college hits in the contest —- one of which came by beating out a throw for an infield single and then smashing a double down the line.
Nunnallee then scored the first run of the game when junior infielder Henry Godbout hit a single into center field. Later on, he plated in the second Cavalier run with a single to left field.
“Nunnallee in the nine hole, kind of gave us that spark with the double in the right field corner,” Coach Brian O’Connor said. “He seemed to be locked in all night.”
Villanova would tie the game up in the sixth inning when a single from graduate catcher Jason Neff scored graduate infielder Tyler Shaw, who got on base after being hit by a pitch. The pitcher who allowed the run was Koenen, a transfer from Dartmouth who replaced Moore on the mound.
With their lead erased, Virginia had to find a way to plate some runs. While junior outfielder Harrison Didawick was able to get on base via a walk, Neff was able to throw him out to clear the bases again. However, a walk and a stolen base from junior utility player Aidan Teel gave the Cavaliers life and set up Nunnallee’s third hit.
Then, a walk from sophomore infielder Eric Becker set up a big hit from Godbout to drive in Nunnallee and put Virginia up 3-1 after six innings.
While the Cavaliers were able to hold their lead, things got very shaky in the eighth inning. Junior utilityman Chris Arroyo had a middling inning on the mound as a reliever, giving up a single before plunking the next runner.
Arroyo was pulled, and the next man out of the bullpen entered into a tough situation. The pressure was on ultra-high for junior pitcher Kevin Jaxel. Unfortunately, he could not rise to the occasion. After inducing a flyout that advanced the lead runner to third, Jaxel walked the bases loaded and had to be pulled for graduate lefty Matt Lanzendorfer. In a big spot, Lanzendorfer forced a groundout to keep the lead 3-1.
With Virginia failing to score in the eighth inning, it was up to Lanzendorfer to hold a 3-1 lead in the ninth. After allowing a hit to graduate outfielder Jake McElroy, Lanzendorfer got a strikeout. He then induced a fielder’s choice from senior outfielder Shane Solari to get the second out. He then forced a weak pop fly into the glove of Becker to win the game and get the save.
Moore’s dominance was the story of the game for Virginia. The Wildcats were mystified by his curveball/fastball combination, and their offense never recovered. If Moore is truly a consistently good starting pitcher, then the Cavaliers will have a much easier time competing in the ACC. Pitching has long been the thorn in the side of Virginia’s championship hopes, but sustained success from Moore as a Saturday or Sunday starter could change that.
“I thought Bryson Moore was outstanding. That was a really high-quality start and we needed that…” O’Connor said. “Opening weekend to get somebody to pitch into the sixth inning is really really challenging to do, but he stepped up and did a great job.”
While the hitting was improved, there are still causes for concern. Ford is still hitless through eight at-bats, which is not up the standard of his Preseason All-American nomination.
Additionally, striking out ten times to a subpar Villanova pitching staff likely does not bode well considering the ACC has several of the best pitching staffs in the nation. Cutting down on strikeouts and finding ways to put the ball in play will be critical for the Cavaliers moving forward.
Next, Virginia will be back in action for one last game in Puerto Rico Sunday against Rice. First pitch will be at 4:00 p.m., and the game can be seen on ESPN+. Projected starters are freshman Tomas Valincius for the Cavaliers and senior J.D. McCracken for the Owls (0-2, 0-0 American).
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