This past weekend, Virginia baseball did not play their weekend series in Tallahassee, Fla. as a three-game series between the Cavaliers (20-15, 9-9 ACC) and No. 4 Florida State was cancelled following a tragic on-campus shooting that shook the country.
Looking to maintain focus and regain momentum, Virginia hosted Georgetown Tuesday with hopes of returning to the win column. The Cavaliers jumped out early and cruised past the Hoyas (13-26, 2-7 Big East) in a dominant 13-1 mercy-rule victory in seven innings.
“Not having played baseball in a week, this is like final exams — you don’t know how your team is going to respond,” Coach Brian O’Connor said. “Certainly our guys came out to play.”
Virginia’s offense was both explosive and opportunistic with 11 hits and nine walks across six offensive frames. Eight of nine Cavalier starters recorded a hit, highlighting a balanced and complete offensive performance.
Georgetown did put up a respectable fight in the early innings, though. The Hoyas opened the scoring with three singles in the first inning off junior left-handed pitcher Evan Blanco, including an RBI knock through the left side from sophomore infielder Blake Schaaf that gave the Hoyas a 1-0 lead.
The Cavaliers wasted no time responding.
They put up a pair of runs with timely hitting, and took advantage of the Hoyas’ mistakes. An errant pickoff attempt moved junior outfielder Aidan Teel into scoring position, which then set up an RBI single from junior infielder Chris Arroyo. Later, a sacrifice fly brought in sophomore infielder Eric Becker.
Teel added another run for Virginia with a towering solo home run in the second. Then, Teel showcased his two-way ability with an electric catch in the third — as he raced back against the warning track and laid out for a Superman-esque diving catch, robbing Georgetown’s junior infielder Jeremy Sheffield of extra bases.
“It was a cool catch, I got a good read off the bat — give credit to the kid who hit it, he hit it hard,” Teel said. “Disharoon is a big park so luckily it stayed in and I was able to track it down.”
After Teel’s highlight plays, Virginia sustained its offense and then some as the Cavaliers put together a 10-run inning on eight hits in the third. Junior outfielder Henry Ford set the tone with a leadoff triple before scoring on a wild pitch. Arroyo walked, then junior infielder Henry Godbout added a two-run home run to make it 6-1. The Cavaliers continued to pour it on, tacking on seven more runs in the frame to take complete control.
Tuesday marked an incredible offensive performance — but Blanco was impressive as well. He settled in nicely after allowing a run in the opening frame, as he pitched four strong innings and struck out four while giving up four hits and just the lone run. With Blanco at just 61 pitches, O’Connor turned to his bullpen in the fifth, preserving Blanco for the upcoming weekend series at No. 24 Georgia Tech.
In a season where Blanco has struggled to find consistency, Tuesday marked a strong step forward. He was efficient, confident and in command of both his fastball and breaking pitches.
“I thought Blanco was terrific tonight, the command of his fastball was where it needed to be. Really proud of the adjustments that he's made,” O’Connor said.
Junior righty Kevin Jaxel was dominant in two innings of work in relief of Blanco, as he struck out three hitters and did not allow a hit or run. Freshman Michael Yeager then made his third appearance of the season — closing out the win with two strikeouts and a scoreless seventh.
It was a complete performance from the Cavaliers, who were disciplined at the plate, sharp on the mound, and opportunistic in key moments. With a .500 conference record and the Florida State series unlikely to be rescheduled, there is no margin for error. Virginia will have to sustain this level of play down the stretch as postseason hopes hang in the balance.
Next, the Cavaliers will host James Madison Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. before travelling to Atlanta this weekend to take on No. 24 Georgia Tech in a pivotal ACC matchup. With just three ACC series remaining, the Cavaliers have no choice but to capitalize if they hope to ascend going into the playoffs.
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