No. 14 Virginia Fends Off Hofstra in Season Opening Win

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 14 Virginia (1-0) scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth and came away with a 10-8 victory over Hofstra (0-1) on Friday (Feb. 16) at Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers played in front of a crowd of 3,575, the second largest in an opener in program history.

Griff O’Ferrall, Anthony Stephan and freshman Henry Ford each had two-hit efforts to lead the Cavaliers attack. UVA broke an 7-7 tie in the eighth by taking advantage of four walks, two passed balls and two wild pitches in the game changing inning. In his collegiate debut, second year Aidan Teel, struck out the final two batters with the tying run on second base to seal the victory.

Virginia erased a pair of deficits in the contest to clinch their fifth-straight opening day victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Hofstra had two hits and plated an unearned run in the first inning to grab the initial advantage. The Pride had leads of 1-0 and 4-1 on the day.
• O’Ferrall, UVA’s first batter of the game, evened the game up with a 415-foot blast into the left field bleachers, only his second home run of his career.

• After falling behind 4-1, the Cavaliers plated six runs in the top of the sixth. Ford’s first collegiate hit, a single up the middle, tied the game at four.

• Sophomore Harrison Didawick gave UVA a 7-4 cushion with a two-run homer to left center field to cap the rally. The long ball was his fifth of his career.

• Hofstra chipped away at the three-run Cavalier advantage with two runs in the seventh and a solo homer by Matt Pelcher that led off the eighth and knotted the game at seven.
• Virginia didn’t need a hit in its half of the eighth to recapture the lead. Casey Saucke, who plated the go-ahead run in the sixth, scored on a passed ball to give UVA an 8-7 lead. Didawick and Jacob Ference each came around on wild pitches to make it a three-run frame.
• Teel came on to pitch in the ninth with runners on first and second and gave up an RBI single to Alex McCoy. He fanned the final two batters to close the game up, earning his first career save. 

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Three Cavaliers made their collegiate debuts in the contest – Henry Ford (DH), Eric Becker (3B) and Teel (reliever). Transfers Blake Barker (reliever), Ference (starting catcher) and Bobby Whalen (defensive substitution) played in their first game as a Cavalier.
• O’Ferrall led off the game with a home run. Both of his home runs in his career have led off a game. He hit a leadoff homer in game two of the 2023 Super Regional against Duke.
• Virginia has won five-straight opening day games and improve to 16-5 under Brian O’Connor in season openers.
• Virginia drew 3,575 fans at the contest, second only to the crowd at the 2018 home opener against VMI (3,709). The contest in 2018 was the first game after Disharoon Park underwent a $18.6 million expansion.
• The meeting between Virginia and Hofstra was the first in 72 years. UVA is now 3-0 all-time against the Pride.
• The Cavaliers have now won 17-straight February games dating back to the 2021 season.
• The win was the 575th at Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers have won 77 percent (575-170) of their games at Disharoon Park since it opened in 2002.

UP NEXT

The second game of a three-game set against Hofstra will take place on Saturday at 1 p.m. inside Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers will have lefthander Evan Blanco on the mound and he will be opposed by Hofstra righty Steven Kaenzig. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.