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Virginia Tech Avoids Sweep With Late Game Rally

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BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech (26-27, 9-21 ACC) scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh in an 8-4 victory over Virginia (32-22, 14-16 ACC) in the regular season finale on Saturday (May 18) at English Field. The loss for the Cavaliers snapped a five-game win streak.
 
Despite the loss, the Cavaliers claimed their fourth-straight series win and have won nine of the last 12 games against the Hokies.
 
Virginia Tech sent nine batters to the plate in the fateful seventh, plating five runs on four hits. It marked the first runs that Cavaliers had surrendered after the fourth inning in the series. The five-run rally was the sixth time an opponent has scored five or more runs in an inning against Virginia this season.
 
Sophomore Brendan Rivoli (Douglassville, Pa.) led a slew of multi-hit performances for the Cavaliers who racked up 12 hits, the sixth-straight game the Cavaliers have collected 10 or more hits. Rivoli went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. For the series, he finished 6-for-13 with a double and seven RBI.
 
After falling behind 3-0 after two innings, Rivoli put the Cavaliers on the scoreboard in the top of the third with an RBI single to right field that allowed Tanner Morris (Crozet, Va.) to score. Serving as the team’s lead-off man, Morris has scored a run in 11-straight games including a total of four times against Virginia Tech.
 
The Cavaliers pulled within a run in the fifth when Morris drove in Cayman Richardson (Mechanicsville, Va.) who tripled to lead off the inning. For Richardson, it was his team-best, third triple of the season and fourth of his Cavalier career.

 
On the mound, sophomore Devin Ortiz (Irvington, N.J.) kept the game in striking distance with 3.2 shutout innings of releif. It total he retired 11 of the 14 batters he faced. The righthander took over for starter Mike Vasil (Wellesley, Mass.) with two outs in the bottom of the second inning. He walked the first batter he faced to load the bases and went on to fan the final batter of the frame to end the Hokie scoring threat. The sophomore has now pitched 19.1 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, a span of seven appearances.
 
Freshman Nic Kent (Charlottesville, Va.) extended  his hit streak to 11 games with a 2-for-5 effort at the plate. He has reached base safely in 14-straight games. Senior Cameron Simmons (Royersford, Pa.) and Jack Weiller (Katonah, N.Y.) rounded out the multi-hit performers. Weiller was 2-for-4 with a double while Simmons went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles.
 
Catcher Logan Michaels (DeForest, Wis.) pulled the Cavaliers within four with a two-out, two-run single in the top of the eighth inning. One of the three Hokie fielding errors on the day made both of the runs unearned.

 
The Cavaliers will await their seed and scheduled game times for the upcoming ACC Tournament in Durham, N.C. Seeds will be determined at the conclusion of play on Saturday (May 18) while the schedule should be released on Sunday morning (May 19).
 
Additional Notes
• Virginia used eight pitchers in the contest, matching a season-high (Liberty – 3/13).
• The Cavaliers finish off the regular season with an 13-3 mark against Commonwealth opponents.
• Rivoli has now hit safely in a career-best, 12-straight games. The streak is tied for the second longest on the team this season.
• The combination of Zach Messinger (Chandler, Ind.), Billy Price (Morristown, N.J.) and Griff McGarry (Portola Valley, Calif.) pitched the final two innings of the game without yielding a run.
 
COMMONWEALTH CLASH
The Commonwealth Clash presented by Virginia529 is a head-to-head, points-based competition between the athletic teams at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The Commonwealth Clash encourages a friendly, statewide rivalry between the two schools across all school-sponsored sports with 21 individual event points on the line. The school that accumulates 11 points or more will be crowned the winner and take home the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash trophy. Visit www.TheCommonwealthClash.com for more information.

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