No. 23 Virginia Drops Series Opener to Duke

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.  – The Virginia baseball team (12-8, 3-4 ACC) fell 9-5 on Friday night (March 21) to the Duke Blue Devils (14-9, 3-4) at Disharoon Park to open a three-game series.

UVA starting pitcher Jay Woolfolk was charged with the loss despite tying a career-high in strikeouts with 10. The senior surrendered five runs in 4.2 innings of work.

Henry Godbout led the Cavaliers offensively by going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and his third home run of the season. Eric Becker also went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored in the series opener.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The two ACC foes played to a scoreless tie during the opening three innings before each side plated a trio of runs in the fourth.
• All three of Duke’s runs in the frame came on a one-out home run to left field from Ben Miller.
• UVA answered with a Godbout leadoff home run. The dinger was the junior’s third of the season and third in as many games.

• The Godbout homer was followed by an Aidan Teel RBI double that brought home Jacob Ference and cut the deficit to one run at 3-2.

• One batter later, Walker Buchanan scored on a Luke Hanson groundout to tie the game.
• Duke regained the lead in the top of the fifth for good with an RBI triple and an RBI single to make it a 5-3 contest.
• The visiting Blue Devils extended their advantage to 7-3 in the sixth on a pair of RBI extra-base hits.
• Duke tacked on two more runs in the top of the seventh to make it a 9-3 contest.
• Virginia cut into the Duke lead during the home half of the seventh when Becker scored on a Godbout single. One at-bat later, a fielder’s choice off the bat of Ference plated Henry Ford to bring UVA within reach at 9-5.
• Duke’s Reid Easterly retired the last seven Virginia batters he faced to seal the 9-5 victory for the visiting Blue Devils.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Teel is the only Cavalier to reach base in all 20 games this season.
• Becker’s pair of doubles on the night gives the sophomore nine on the season to lead Virginia. The nine doubles also tie his season total from 2024.
• In his last five starts at Disharoon Park, Woolfolk has amassed 38 strikeouts in 30.1 innings pitched.
• Including Woolfolk’s 10 strikeouts, six Cavalier pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts in the contest, matching a season-best.

UP NEXT

Virginia will look to even the series on Saturday (March 22) in the middle of a three-game set. The Cavaliers will have lefthander Tomas Valincius (2-0) on the mound against Duke’s lefty Andrew Healy (1-2). First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. on ACCNX and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM).