Cavaliers Drop Saturday Night Thriller at Stetson

DELAND, Fla. – The Stetson Hatters (2-5) walked off the Virginia baseball team (5-1) in a 6-5 contest on Saturday night (Feb. 21) at Melching Field.

 

Stetson built an early 3-0 advantage over the opening two innings before Joe Tiroly crushed a no-doubt three-run homer to even the contest. Antonio Perrotta’s pinch-hit RBI double in the sixth inning set the stage for the later inning dramatics that culminated in Stetson’s game-winning double.

 

In the defeat, the Virginia pitching staff only surrendered four hits on the night. UVA reliever Tyler Kapa was tagged with the loss for the Hoos.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Stetson opened the scoring by plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the first on an RBI single and a Virginia fielding error.
• Following a scoreless second inning, the homestanding Hatters extended their lead to 3-0 with another RBI base hit in the third.
• Tiroly tied the game with one swing of the bat in the fourth inning, crushing his first home run of the season and plating AJ Gracia and Sam Harris in the process.
• In relief, Michael Yeager held the Hatter batters at bay with a trio of hitless innings.
• Harrison Didawick singled with one out in the sixth and came around to score three batters later when Perrotta smacked a pinch-hit double down the line in left that put the Cavaliers up 4-3.
• Stetson reclaimed the lead at 5-4 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth. The Hatters tied the game on a wild pitch and a Virginia error that allowed a runner to score from second before Stetson’s Juan De La Cruz worked a bases-loaded walk with two outs to tie the game.
• With one swing of the bat, freshman RJ Holmes tied the contest at 5-5 with a leadoff solo home run in the top of the ninth. The solo shot was Holmes’ first dinger of his collegiate career.

With runners on first and second, Stetson’s Samuel Fernandez roped a double to deep center field that gave the Hatters a 6-5 victory on Saturday night.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• With the defeat, Virginia moves to 37-7 in February since the start of the 2021 season and 1-2 against Stetson all-time.
• With his single in the sixth, Harrison Didawick became the only Cavalier to record a base hit in all six games this season.
• Didawick also swiped a pair of bases for the first time since he stole a pair of bases against Richmond in 2024.
• Michael Yeager’s three innings in relief were the longest outing of his career.

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers will close out the weekend with the Bison of North Dakota State on Sunday. First pitch for the weekend is scheduled for 10 a.m. against NDSU.