Didawick Propels No. 9 Virginia to Series Victory Over Clemson

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – On a day when the No. 9 Virginia baseball team (28-13, 12-8 ACC) was without AJ Gracia and Eric Becker, the Cavaliers outlasted the Clemson Tigers (25-16, 6-12 ACC) 5-4 at Disharoon Park on Saturday (April 18) to seal the weekend series.

 

Harrison Didawick lifted the shorthanded Cavaliers on Saturday with a pair of home runs, including a tone-setting leadoff inside-the-park home run on the first pitch of the game. In the field, Didawick also made a pair of game-saving diving catches in the ninth inning to help UVA capture its fifth ACC series victory of the year.  

 

Virginia starter John Paone struck out a season-high seven batters in 4.1 innings of one-ball but was dealt a no-decision on Saturday. Lucas Hartman picked up his team-leading eighth win of the year.

 

Joe Tiroly and Sam Harris each homered on Saturday to aid in the offense behind Didawick. Antonio Perrotta also went 2-for-4 on the afternoon with a double.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Paone opened the game with a groundout before hitting Clemson’s Tryston McCladdie with a pitch. McCladdie turned into the first run of the contest on a two-out RBI single from Jacob Jarrell.
• Clemon’s 1-0 lead did not last long as Didawick launched the first pitch he saw off the wall in centerfield for an inside-the-park home run to tie the contest at 1-1.
• Tiroly promptly untied the game in the bottom of the third with a laser to left field bleachers that put UVA up 2-1. The home run was Tiroly’s seventh of the season.
• An inning later, Harris extended the Virginia lead to 3-1 with a rocket over the wall in left field to tie for the team lead in home runs with 12.
•  Kyle Johnson made it a 4-1 contest in the sixth when the junior singled home Jake Weatherspoon with two outs.
• The Tigers plated a run in the top of the seventh before Kyle Johnson robbed McCladdie of a home run to end the frame.
• Virginia got the run back following the seventh inning stretch as Didawick left no doubt with his second home run of the day. Didawick’s second dinger of the day was his seventh of the season and gave Virginia a 5-2 advantage.
• Clemson pulled within a run at 5-4 with a pair of solo home runs in the eighth.
• After allowing a leadoff single to start the ninth, Tyler Kapa bared down and recorded a five-out save to secure the series win for Virginia.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• With the series win, Virginia improves to 62-111 all-time against the Clemson Tigers.
• Since the start of the 2006 season, UVA is 27-13 against the Tigers and has won nine of 12 series.
• Harrison Didawick homered twice on Saturday for the third time in his career and the second time in the last nine games.
• Didawick’s inside-the-park home run was the first by a Cavalier since Zack Gelof’s against Miami in 2021.
• Didawick’s two-homer day makes him only the second Cavalier in program history to tally 40 home runs in his career.

FROM COACH CHRIS POLLARD:

“Incredibly tough. I could not be prouder of this group. We got a great start by John Paone when we needed it, but the conversation today starts and ends with Harrison Didawick. He is the heart and soul of this group. He is unbelievably tough and he played great defense while coming up with some clutch hits. I am so proud of that dude and he deserves all the success that he is having.” 

UP NEXT

No. 9 Virginia will close out the mid-April homestand on Wednesday (April 22) as the Cavaliers welcome the Liberty Flames to Disharoon Park. ACCNX and WINA (98.9/1070 AM) will carry the contest that is slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch.