Finally, after a series win on the road versus California, No. 23 Virginia officially had momentum. And that momentum was immediately squandered Wednesday against Richmond. The defeat was a frustrating midweek loss that could have served as an opportunity to tune up ahead of a weekend series versus Duke.
The ninth inning ended as a fitting microcosm of a game defined by missed opportunities — the bases were left loaded. The four innings prior all featured at least one runner left on base. The Spiders (19-2, 3-0 Atlantic 10) capitalized on their opportunities to take an early lead, and the Cavaliers (12-7, 3-3 ACC) had no response en route to a 6-2 defeat.
“We got beat by the better baseball team today,” Coach Brian O’Connor said. “They came in here and outplayed us in every facet of the game.”
The frustration was visible. It was clear in junior infielder Henry Godbout’s anger with a called third strike that ultimately killed a rally in the sixth inning. It was clear a pitch later, when the first pitch to sophomore outfielder Walker Buchanan looked remarkably similar to the strike-three call but was called a ball. It was clear in the ninth inning, when the Richmond pitcher dropped the baseball and the entire stadium berated the umpires with boos, screaming for a balk to be called.
It was Virginia’s first midweek non-conference loss since 2022, and it was abundantly clear that nobody at Disharoon Park expected to see the Cavaliers lose to their in-state, non-Power Four counterparts.
Richmond entered the game playing exceptionally well, with five Spiders sporting batting averages better than .400. It was the Richmond pitchers who held the Cavaliers in check, though — namely, graduate pitcher Gerry Peacock.
Peacock worked 4.1 innings of one-run ball, allowing just two hits and confounding Virginia hitters with a 70 miles per hour curveball that he threw consistently for a strike. Peacock did not sport the stuff of a top-tier Division 1 starter, but he had no trouble racking up five strikeouts and shutting down the Cavaliers.
Virginia had a uniquely frustrating day at the plate, one of its worst offensive performances this season. The Cavaliers did not record their first hit until the third inning, a single by graduate catcher Jacob Ference. Their first run came thanks to a solo home run blasted by junior infielder Henry Godbout, and it did not come until the fifth inning. Their second and final run came in the next inning, an RBI single by Buchanan.
Buchanan’s RBI hit, though a critical hit at the time, was ultimately the exception to the rule — with runners in scoring position, Virginia was utterly hapless, recording two hits and cashing in with a run just once in nine opportunities. All that, despite recording hits to lead off innings on five separate occasions and posting eight total hits.
The pitching once again allowed a string of runs early but settled in as the game progressed. Junior pitcher Bradley Hodges got the start as he continues to recover from injury, signalling immediately that it would be a bullpen game for the Cavaliers — and it was, as Virginia used seven different pitchers Wednesday. Hodges took the loss, but all seven pitchers allowed just two earned runs, with four unearned runs scoring due to errors.
Through a tough start to the season, O’Connor has without fail emphasized the importance of patience. Time and time again, O’Connor has struck a tone of patience and repeatedly underlined how difficult it is to win baseball games. Wednesday, the patience was still there — but for the first time this season, O’Connor’s tone was less methodical and more insistent. So was his message.
“Our competitive spirit and our competitiveness in every phase of the game will get better because I’m going to absolutely demand it,” O’Connor said. “It’s not about winning and losing the ballgame — it’s about being ready to play from pitch one, and we are not doing that.”
Up and down the lineup, players struggled. Only junior first baseman Chris Arroyo and graduate catcher Jacob Ference recorded two-hit days. Besides Arroyo and Ference, just four other Cavaliers recorded a single knock. Even sophomore infielder Eric Becker had an off day, uncharacteristically posting an 0-for-5 line.
The clock is ticking on this team to play up to expectations, so this weekend’s series versus Duke could see O’Connor’s most dramatic lineup changes yet. With players like Buchanan and freshman infielder Chone James finding consistent success in limited opportunities and lineup mainstays like junior outfielder Harrison Didawick and junior infielder Luke Hanson scuffling at the plate, it seems like only a matter of time until O’Connor makes some permanent changes. O’Connor said that if Wednesday's results continue, he will make adjustments, and he said he will play the guys that prove they should play.
“I’m the grown man that’s been here for 20 years — that effort today is on me,” O’Connor said. “But I can promise you the effort will be better, okay? Because if it’s not, I’ll find the guys that will show up every day and play with the right intent, to the standards of what this baseball program is built on.”
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