No. 16 Virginia Falls to FSU in Series Opener Despite Abbott’s Career Night

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –  In a game that featured 29 strikeouts between the two pitching staffs, Florida State (3-4, 1-3 ACC) emerged with a 2-0 victory over No. 16 Virginia (5-4, 1-3 ACC) on Friday night at Dick Howser Stadium. Senior Andrew Abbott (Republican Grove, Va.) was credited with 14 strikeouts, the most by a Cavalier pitcher since 2014.

Abbott was electric through his first four innings of work. He surrendered a leadoff single to start the day and went on to strike out the next six batters he faced. He struck out the side in the second and the fourth and found himself with 11 of his 14 strikeouts the first four innings.

The last time a Cavalier struck out 14 or more batters was Nathan Kirby in his no-hitter at Pittsburgh on April 4, 2014 where he fanned 18 Panther hitters.

Florida State scored the game’s only two runs in the third after Robby Martin punched a two-out single up the middle that scored two runs, one unearned on a Virginia fielding error.

Abbott pitched into the sixth inning for the third straight week but dropped to 1-2 on the season despite four earned runs in three starts.

The Cavalier offense was stifled by Seminole lefty Parker Messick who tossed eight innings of shutout baseball. He did not a allow a Virginia hit until the fifth and struck 11 batters. The Cavaliers threatened in the fifth and again in the sixth, getting the tying run aboard in both frames. Messick induced back-to-back pop outs to end the sixth. He went on to retire the final eight batters of his night.

Nic Kent (Charlottesville, Va.), Max Cotier (New Milford, Conn.), Zack Gelof (Rehoboth, Beach, Del.) and Logan Michaels (DeForest, Wis.) were responsible for the four Cavalier hits on the night.

Zach Messinger (Chandler, Ind.) retired the final batter of the sixth inning and pitched a perfect seventh before giving way to Brandon Neeck (Chappaqua, N.Y.) with two outs in the eighth. Neeck struck out the final batter of the eighth, stranding runners on first and third. Messinger struck out three batters in two total innings of work. The trio combined for 18 strikeouts, matching a season-high.

Virginia’s second ACC series of the season will continue on Saturday (March 6) with the middle game of a three-game set at Florida State. The Cavaliers will have Griff McGarry on the hill and he will be opposed by righty Bryce Hubbart. First pitch can be seen live on ACCNX and is scheduled for a 2 p.m. first pitch at Dick Howser Stadium.

Additional Notes

• Including Abbott’s performance, a UVA pitcher has struck out 14 or more batters six times since 2000. Only three of those games have come against ACC opponents.
• Virginia was shutout for the first time since March 30, 2019, a 2-0 loss at NC State, snapping a streak of 45 games without being shutout.
• Freshman Kyle Teel (Mahwah, N.J.) batted fifth and served as the designated hitter in his first collegiate start.
• Zack Gelof gave the Cavaliers hope in the ninth with a single through the right side and is the only Cavalier to reach base safely in all nine games this season.