Virginia Takes Series Over Pitt with Run-Rule Victory

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In front of a sellout crowd at Disharoon Park, the Virginia baseball team (20-14, 9-9 ACC) dismantled the Pitt Panthers (18-6, 5-10 ACC) 18-0 on Sunday afternoon (April 13).

The Virginia offense scored early and often in the rubber match by plating five runs in the first, six in the second, two in the third and four in the fourth to put the Cavaliers up 17-0 after the opening four frames.

 UVA starting pitcher Tomas Valincius carried a perfect game into the fifth before surrendering one of the three Pitt hits on the day. Valincius finished the day with 5.2 shutout innings and four strikeouts to tally his third win of the season.

Chris Arroyo paced the Virginia offense with a 3-for-3 day with a home run and six RBIs to tie his season-high. Jacob Ference added to the power surge with a 2-for-3 day that was highlighted by a grand slam in the second inning. To round out the Cavalier home run trio, Harrison Didawick blasted his third of the season in the first inning.

HOW IT HAPPENED  

• After a shutdown on top of the frame from Valincius, the Virginia offense opened Sunday with a five-run first. The two runs of the contest came on Arroyo’s eighth home run of the season. Later in the inning, Didawick smacked a three-run homer to right for his second dinger in as many games.

• The six-run second was highlighted by an RBI double by Eric Becker, a bases-loaded RBI single from Henry Godbout and was capped off by Ference’s grand slam to make it 11-0 after two innings played.

• An inning later, Arroyo tacked on two more runs to the Cavalier lead with a single through the right side that plated Becker and Aidan Teel.
• In the fourth, Teel and Arroyo each had two-run singles in the frame that pushed the Virginia lead to 17-0.
• The final UVA run came in the bottom of the sixth when Jackson Sirois came home to score on a pinch-hit RBI single off the bat of Antonio Perrotta.

• After Valincius was lifted, the Cavalier bullpen trio of Ryan Osinski, Dean Kampschror and Charlie Oschell held the Panthers to a single hit over the final 1.1 innings.

 ADDITIONAL NOTES

• The 18 runs on Sunday were the second most runs in a game for Virginia this season, only behind the 22-run outburst against Boston College on March 8.
• Sunday marked the third time this season that UVA hit three home runs in a game.
• The series-clinching shutout is Virginia’s third of the year and first in ACC play.
• Chris Arroyo regained the team lead on Sunday in home runs (8) and RBIs (34).
• Henry Ford pushed his on-base streak to 18 games with a walk in the second inning.
• Virginia moves to 10-3 on the season when Aidan Teel bats leadoff.
• UVA improves to 18-3 on the year when scoring six or more runs.
• Virginia now leads the all-time series against Pitt, 28-12.
• Sunday’s sellout was the second of the year and the eighth since the start of the 2024 season. 

UP NEXT

Virginia will conclude the four-game homestand on Tuesday (April 15) as the Cavaliers welcome the Liberty Flames to Disharoon Park. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. and will air on ACCNX and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM).