Virginia Moves to 11-0 After Sweep of Penn State

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.– Virginia (11-0) remained unbeaten on the season with a 13-1 victory over Penn State (3-7) on Sunday (March 6) in front of 4,459 fans at Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers have scored 10 or more runs in eight-straight games, a program record.

Sophomore Jake Gelof, the reigning ACC Player of the Week and NCBWA National co-Hitter of the Week, hit two home runs in the contest. It marks the second time this season he’s left the ballpark twice in one game. He finished 2-for-5 with five RBI, upping his season total to 29 RBI in 11 games played.

First year Griff O’Ferrall reached base five times and finished 4-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI on the afternoon.

Dating back to last season, Virginia 11 consecutive home games, the most since the 2014 season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Gelof brought the raucous UVA crowd to its feet early with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. He then hit a 414-foot blast in the eighth that cleared the bleachers in left field. The second year has seven home runs on the season, all have come in the last nine games.
• Virginia made it 4-0 on an RBI single by O’Ferrall and a sacrifice fly from Kyle Teel.
• Ethan Anderson made it a 6-1 UVA advantage in the bottom of the fourth inning with his second home run of the season an opposite field shot that traveled 361 feet. Both homers for Anderson have come in the last four games.
• The Cavaliers posted six runs in the eighth inning, the 10^th time this season and third time this series that UVA has scored five or more runs in an inning. Casey Saucke had a pinch-hit RBI single and O’Ferrall drove in a run with a single to center before the three-run homer by Gelof.
• Brandon Neeck was credited with his second win of the season after pitching five innings of one-run baseball. The lefty fanned six batters and walked one. Virginia starting pitchers have won each of the last nine decisions.
• Out of the bullpen Jay Woolfolk (1.2 IP), Jake Berry (1.1 IP) and Will Geerdes (1.0) combined for four innings of shutout relief. The trio scattered three Nittany Lion runners and combined for four strikeouts.

FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN O’CONNOR

“I thought that was a really complete weekend of baseball in every facet of what you look to try to do to have success. I thought our pitching was really good, we threw strikes all weekend. Our defense was outstanding and continues to be very, very good especially on the infield. We were opportunistic all weekend with the bats. I think this team, this offensive ballclub has an opportunity to score runs in a lot of different ways. We got some guys that can steal bases, obviously we got guys who can hit the ball out of the ballpark and I think it can happen throughout the lineup so it’s pretty exciting. Anytime you can go into a series and win all three games, you feel pretty good. And now we’ll turn our attention to the next one on Tuesday.”

O’Connor on the Crowd:

“Kudos to our administration, kudos to the people that worked hard to get people out here. And obviously our players have to deliver, and when you’re knocking balls out of the ballpark and you’ve got music playing, you’ve got a beautiful day, what a great atmosphere.

It makes a difference in the outcome of the game. It really does. These kids came here to not only get better and get a great degree, but they came here to play in an environment like this. We have a beautiful stadium, one of the best stadiums in this country, and it’s great to see our fans come out and support these young men.”

UP NEXT: The Cavaliers will conclude their nine-game homestand on Tuesday when they host George Washington at 3 p.m.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• The Cavaliers are 11-0 for the fourth time in school history (2008, 2009, 2013 and 2022). All four 11-0 starts have occurred under O’Connor.
• The attendance as Sunday’s finale was the largest regular season crowd since May 15, 2016 against Georgia Tech.
• Virginia improves to 15-10 all-time against Penn State and have won 13 of the last 17 meetings.
• First years O’Ferrall, Colin Tuft and Anderson combined to score nine of the 13 UVA runs, each crossing the plate three times. Tuft has scored a run in all nine of his starts this season.