No. 11 Virginia Falls in Rubber Match Against No. 7 Virginia Tech

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 7 Virginia Tech (31-10, 14-8 ACC) erased a 4-0 deficit and held on for a 7-5 series-clinching win over No. 11 Virginia (33-12, 14-10 ACC) on Sunday (May 1) at Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers suffer their first home series loss of the season.

Virginia held a 4-0 lead after three innings and Virginia Tech went on to score the game’s next seven runs. Gavin Cross broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh with a lead-off homer as part of a three-run Hokie rally. Reliever Graham Firoved, who earned a two-inning save in game one, pitched the final 3.2 innings of one-run baseball to pick up his second win of the year.

Graduate student Alex Tappen hit two home runs in a 2-for-4, two-run, three-RBI effort at the plate. It was his second multi-homer game of the season. He now has 12 home runs on the year and 25 for his career, both tied for the 11^th most in school history.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Virginia scored the first three runs of the game on a pair of home runs. Tappen launched his 11^th long ball of the year in the bottom of the first in an at bat where he saw eight pitches, five of which he fouled off.
• Junior Chris Newell led off the second inning with a solo shot that traveled 446 feet over the “blue monster” in center field. He also extended his time at the plate, fouling off three pitches in a seven-pitch at bat. In the same inning, Ethan Anderson came around to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Griff O’Ferrall.

• After Virginia starting pitcher, Jake Berry, held the Hokies hitless over the first three innings, Cross led the fourth off with a double as the first three runners reached. Cross came in on a sacrifice fly and Cade Hunter cut the UVA lead in half with a one-out single.
• In the fifth, three-straight hits, including an RBI double by Tanner Schoebel, helped Virginia Tech pull within a run. Another sacrifice fly, this time from Jack Hurley, tied the game at 4.
• Tappen hit his second homer of the game in the bottom of the seventh, the Cavaliers first hit since the third inning.
• UVA brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but Firoved induced a game-ending pop out to secure the victory.

UP NEXT: The Cavaliers will continue their homestand on Tuesday with the second game of a two-game, home and home midweek series against VCU. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Disharoon Park.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Virginia broke its three-game series attendance record this weekend with a three-day total of 16,277. The previous record of 14,282 was established in 2014 in a three-game set against North Carolina (14,282).
• Virginia led 4-0 after the third inning and had been 26-0 when leading after three innings this season.
• Sunday marked the first time UVA has lost when homering three or more times in a game. Coming into the weekend been 9-0 when hitting three or more out of the ballpark.

SMITHFIELD COMMONWEALTH CLASH

• The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, originally called the Commonwealth Challenge (2005-2007), has been a part of the UVA-Virginia Tech rivalry since 2014. It is an all-sports points-based program with the Commonwealth Clash trophy presented to the winning school each year for its dominance in head-to-head competitions.
• Virginia Tech currently leads the Clash 11.5 to 7.5.