A four-game losing streak over the weekend against Duke shook the confidence of this Virginia baseball team, but a midweek matchup at Liberty was a welcome chance to regain momentum, to defeat the Flames (18-8, 1-2 Conference USA) for the sixth consecutive time.
Instead, the Cavaliers (12-11, 3-6 ACC) suffered another embarrassing loss, this time a 5-3 defeat Tuesday. No win has come easy, but a game against Liberty should have been a resounding victory. Instead, a developing theme gained more momentum — non-Power Five opponents and mediocre ACC teams alike have played competitive, winning baseball against Virginia.
The milestones keep piling up. Tuesday’s loss brought the Cavaliers’ losing streak to five games for just the second time since the arrival of Coach Brian O’Connor, who has a tenure of 22 seasons. The defeat marked the first time since 2022 that Virginia lost consecutive midweek matchups.
Entering the game, too, there was yet another milestone — the first time since 2022 that the Cavaliers were unranked.
There was little credit to go around for Virginia, which struggled in all facets Tuesday. Junior pitcher Bradley Hodges made the start but immediately allowed two runs. The bullpen was forced into action early yet again, as Hodges only made it through three innings of work despite stabilizing nicely following a rocky first inning.
“I really liked the way he threw the ball in the second and third inning,” O’Connor said. “I thought he really settled in.”
Over on offense, the Cavaliers came to life initially, tying the game in the top of the second inning thanks to a two-run home run by graduate catcher Jacob Ference — a welcome sign of life for Ference, who has not been the same offensive powerhouse that he was last season.
Junior pitcher Joe Colucci was first out of the bullpen for Virginia in the fourth inning, but he recorded just one out, allowing a run and leaving two runners on base for senior pitcher Matthew Buchanan. Buchanan allowed a walk to load the bases but recorded the final two outs of the frame without allowing the Flames to capitalize.
The Cavalier hurlers allowed two more runs to score amounting to a total of five, a manageable amount for a capable offense. Try as they might, however, the Virginia bats had no answer for Liberty’s rotation, led by freshman pitcher Cooper Harrington and junior pitcher Joseph Webb.
The Cavaliers managed a run in the final frame but could not complete the comeback, falling 5-3 to the Flames in a game full of missed opportunities. It was another familiar story — Virginia was just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Clutch hitting has been absent all season, and Tuesday was no exception.
“They just had a few more clutch hits than we did,” O’Connor said. “We just had opportunities we just couldn’t cash in, but our guys are fighting, and you continue to do that, the game will come back around to you.”
The sense of urgency around Virginia baseball is quickly escalating as the losses continue to pile up. A weekend series at Disharoon Park versus No. 20 Stanford awaits beginning Thursday evening, a critical opportunity for the Cavaliers to find their footing.
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