Virginia Falls in Extra Innings To No. 24 Georgia Tech

ATLANTA, Ga. – After taking the first two games of the weekend, the Virginia baseball team (14-16, 11-10 ACC) dropped an extra-inning affair by a score of 7-6 in 10 innings to No. 24 Georgia Tech (30-14, 15-9) on Sunday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.

Virginia built a 6-3 lead heading into the seventh inning stretch before surrendering a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, a two-run homer in the ninth to force extras and a walk-off homer in the tenth to drop the series finale.

Aidan Teel led the Cavalier offense on Sunday with a 2-for-3 game that included a two-run home run and three runs driven in.

UVA starter Tomas Valincius did not factor into the decision after allowing three runs on five hits in his six innings of work. The lefthander also fanned a quartet of Yellow Jackets during his outing.

HOW IT HAPPENED  

• For the second time in as many games, Eric Becker opened the scoring for Virginia with a home run. Becker’s seventh blast of the season put the Cavaliers up 2-0 after the top of the first.
• In the bottom of the opening frame, Georgia Tech got a run back when a leadoff walk came around the score on a one-out double.
• After a first inning that saw three runs scored, both starting pitchers settled in to toss three scoreless innings.
• In the top of the fifth, Harrison Didawick and James Nunnallee opened the frame with back-to-back singles through the right side. Didawick worked his way around the bases and scored on a Yellow Jacket wild pitch before Nunnallee scampered home on a Teel sacrifice fly to make it a 4-1 contest.
• The Yellow Jackets got within a run in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to cut the Cavalier advantage to 4-3.
• Teel and the Virginia offense answered quickly in the top of the seventh as the junior made it a 6-3 contest with a two-run blast. The homer was Teel’s seventh of the season and second of the weekend.
• Following the seventh inning stretch, the home-standing Yellow Jackets plated a run via the long ball with a pinch-hit solo home run from Will Baker.
• With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Georgia Tech’s Drew Burress forced extra innings with a two-run home run that landed over the wall in left to tie the game at 6-6.
• In extras, Virginia was held scoreless in the top of the 10th before a solo home run off the bat of the Yellow Jackets’ Kent Schmidt ended the game and gave Georgia Tech a 7-6 walk-off win.

 ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Eric Becker’s two-run blast in the first gave the sophomore 40 RBIs, which leads the team.
• Valincius’ start on Sunday was his team-high fourth quality start of the season.

 UP NEXT

Virginia will return to Disharoon Park on Tuesday (April 29) as the Cavaliers are slated to open a seven-game homestand with the VCU Rams. The first pitch of Tuesday’s contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will by carried on ACC Network and WINA (98.8 FM/1070 AM).