No. 14 Cavaliers Pull Away Late Against Virginia Tech in Series Opener

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In the ACC home opener, the No. 14 Virginia baseball team (15-3, 3-1 ACC) outlasted the Virginia Tech Hokies (8-8, 2-2 ACC) by a score of 11-6 on Friday night (March 13) at Disharoon Park. 

 

After a back-and-forth affair to open the contest, UVA outfielder AJ Gracia smoked a two-run home run to left that put the Cavaliers out front for good.

 

Virginia starter Henry Zatkowski picked up the win on Friday by going a career-long seven innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts while surrendering four earned runs. Harrison Didawick led the way offensively with his second four-hit performance of the season, while Noah Murray drove in a team-best three runs.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The visiting Hokies opened the scoring in the top of the first with an RBI single off the bat of Hudson Lutterman.
• Virginia answered immediately in the home half of the frame with an RBI base knock from Sam Harris and a Harrison Didawick RBI triple to put the Cavaliers up 2-1.
• UVA tacked on another run in the second when Eric Becker doubled home Kyle Johnson with two outs.
• After a scoreless third, Virginia Tech regained the lead at 4-3 with three runs in the frame that started with three-straight base hits to left field.
• With one away in the bottom of the fifth, Harris reached on a fielding error before Didawick legged out an infield single. Both Cavaliers were brought home when Noah Murray put UVA ahead 6-4 with a three-run shot to the bleachers beyond right field. The homer was Murray’s fifth of the season.
• Virginia Tech’s Sam Gates tied the contest at 6-6 with one swing of the bat in the top of the sixth on a two-run home run to right field.
• The tie didn’t last long as Gracia put the Cavaliers out front for good with a two-run blast in the home half of the sixth. The dinger was Gracia’s team-best seventh of the season and plated Becker.
• The Cavaliers added some insurance an inning later when Virginia plated a trio of runs, highlighted by Johnson and Zach Jackson scampering home thanks to a Hokie fielding error.
• To solidify the Virginia 11-6 victory, Lucas Hartman retired all six Virginia Tech batters he faced while striking out four of them. 

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• With the win, Virginia improves its home win streak to 17 games dating back to last season. The 17-game heater is the longest win streak in the Power Four.
• The UVA pitching duo of Henry Zatkowski and Lucas Hartman combined to strike out 14 Hokies without surrendering a walk. It was the first time Virginia’s pitching staff fanned double-digit batters without allowing a walk since April 12, 2024, against Louisville.
• Harrison Didawick tallied four hits on Friday, tying UVA’s season high for hits in a game.
• With his walk in the second inning, AJ Gracia has reached each base in all 18 games this season.

FROM HEAD COACH CHRIS POLLARD

“I thought their offense played well. They strung together a really good offense and situational hitting in the fourth and the big swing after we couldn’t get off the field in the sixth. We had an answer for their answer. Noah Murray had a big answer to their big inning in the fifth and then AJ had an answer for their answer in the sixth. We kept our foot on the gas and I thought our offense was dynamic and we did it in a lot of different ways.” 

UP NEXT

No. 14 Virginia and Virginia Tech will face off again on Saturday (March 14) for game two of the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash. Saturday’s first pitch is slated for 1 p.m. and will see UVA’s Max Stammel on the bump against Virginia Tech’s Brett Renefrow. The contest will be carried on ACCNX with a radio broadcast on the Virginia Sports TV YouTube channel.