HOW IT HAPPENED
- Becker set the tone early on Wednesday with a leadoff double and later came around to score on a Sam Harris single to right center for the first run of the night.
- Gracia made it a 2-0 contest when the junior outfielder scampered home on a Noah Murray sacrifice fly to right before Antiono Perrotta blew the first inning open with a two-run single to left center that plated Tiroly and Sam Harris.
- After back-to-back strikeouts from UVA starter Jayden Stroman to open the home half of the first, a two-out walk worked its way around the bases to score on a wild pitch. Stroman neutralized the threat with his third and final strikeout of the day.
- After the one-run first, the Virginia freshmen pitching duo of Stroman, Noah Yoder and Christian Lucarelli held the Charlotte offense to just four hits in five combined scoreless innings of work.
- In the fourth inning, Becker opened the frame with his second double of the evening and eventually scored on a Tiroly sacrifice fly that extended the Virginia advantage to 5-1.
- After another shutdown inning from Hartman, UVA added three more runs in the top of the eighth, highlighted by Murray stealing home to make it an 8-1 Cavalier lead.
- Tyler Kapa capped off the dominant UVA performance on Wednesday with a double-play ball in the ninth to secure the 8-1 Virginia victory.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- With the split series, Virginia moves to 5-7 all-time against the Charlotte 49ers.
- Wednesday’s contest was the fifth time this season that the UVA offense had tallied double-digit hits.
- Virginia moves to 10-0 this year when scoring first.
- With his walk in the first inning, AJ Gracia has reached safely in all 13 games this season.
FROM HEAD COACH CHRIS POLLARD
“I thought it was important for us to have a really big response today and we did. I am really proud of our team. I thought yesterday would give us a great opportunity to show how we can get off the mat and how we can get back in the moment. We had a great approach offensively at the top of the first. Jayden got tested a little bit in the bottom of the first. It was a great moment of growth for him to work through that and then to go back out and pick up the 1-2-3 inning in the second. I thought our pitchers threw the ball exceptionally well today. We didn’t extend anybody and all of those guys will be hot for the weekend. Mission accomplished, but more so than anything, I am just really proud of how our team bounced back."
UP NEXT
Virginia will open ACC play with a three-game weekend series at No. 8 North Carolina. The Cavaliers and Tar Heels are slated for a 4 p.m. start on Friday (March 6) that will be carried on ACCNX and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM).
