No. 8 Virginia Remains Unblemished at Home

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 8 Virginia (18-2) kicked off its six-game homestand with an 8-3 win over High Point (7-13) on Tuesday (March 21) at Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers improved to 12-0 at home this season and have won 13-straight home games dating back to last season.

Starting pitcher Connelly Early pitched into the seventh inning and recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in 6.2 innings pitched. The lefthander was credited with his fifth win, tying him for the most in the ACC. Early struck out the final two batters he faced in the seventh inning and exited the mound to a standing ovation from the Disharoon Park faithful.

Freshman Harrison Didawick hit a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the second inning, his third of the season. He went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a triple, a home run and three RBI. Catcher Kyle Teel, who came into the contest with the league’s highest batting average, went 3-for-5 with an RBI and upped his average to .455.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• High Point’s Brett Ahalt hit the game’s first pitch out of the ballpark to give High Point the initial 1-0 advantage in the top of the 1^st.
• UVA responded in the bottom half with an RBI single from Teel that scored Ethan O’Donnell, knotting the game at one.
• Didawick put UVA in front for good with two-run, opposite field home run over the left field wall. The home run was his third of the season.

• Beginning in the second inning, Early retired 11-straight batters until Ahalt singled to lead off the sixth. Early had a strikeout in six of the seven frames he pitched in and sat down 15 of the final 17 batters he faced.
• UVA added to its lead in the sixth thanks to two-run double by Griff O’Ferrall to make the score 5-1.
• The Cavaliers posted three more runs in the seventh on an RBI double by Ethan Anderson, an RBI single by Anthony Stephan and the first career triple from Didawick.
• High Point scratched across two runs (one earned) in the eighth to close the gap to five.
• Angelo Tonas worked a scoreless ninth inning to seal the Cavalier victory.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Virginia has one 16-straight games against non-conference opponents at Disharoon Park.
• UVA has won all three meetings against High Point and Tuesday was the first since a 12-3 victory on May 9, 2013.
• Virginia has recorded 18 or more wins in its first 20 games five times – 2009, 2011, 2013, 2022 & 2023.
• Cavalier starting pitchers have allowed four runs in their last 26.2 innings pitched.
• UVA scored in the first inning for the 11^th time this season. The 31 runs scored in the first are the most of any inning this season.
• Kyle Teel has reached base safely in all 20 games this season.
• Ethan Anderson went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. The multi-hit effort was his team-leading, 11^th of the season.

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers will be back in action on Wednesday afternoon when they host Georgetown at Disharoon Park. Freshman lefty Bradley Hodges is scheduled to make his first collegiate start on the mound and he will be opposed by righthander Kai Leckszas. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.