When a team is hot, it finds a way to win no matter the situation. In a tough three-game series at Wake Forest, the No. 5 Virginia baseball team used late rallies in each of the games to sweep the Demon Deacons. A 7-6 win on Saturday was followed by an 8-6 victory Sunday and a 9-7 win Monday.
Saturday, the Cavaliers (30-3, 12-3 ACC) sent freshman Brandon Waddell to the mound, but Wake Forest (17-17, 4-11 ACC) touched him for five runs in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead. Waddell bounced back for scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth before the Virginia bullpen kept Wake Forest scoreless for the rest of the game.
The Cavaliers picked up a run in the top of the seventh, but they went into the final frame down 6-2. After a sacrifice fly cut the lead to three runs, freshman Joe McCarthy loaded the bases with a single, and two batters later, sophomore Mike Papi hit a grand slam to give Virginia a dramatic one run victory.
The Cavaliers found themselves down early again on Sunday as Wake Forest picked up six runs off the Virginia staff early to lead 6-3 after five innings. After three consecutive walks to open the sixth, the Cavaliers plated three runs to tie the game. Virginia picked up another two runs in the eighth to move ahead 8-6, and the bullpen once again kept Wake Forest off the board to close the game out.
For Monday’s game, the Cavaliers were able to stymie the Wake Forest bats early, as sophomore Nick Howard dazzled through five innings to stake Virginia to a 3-0 lead. The Demon Deacons managed to break through in the sixth, taking advantage of a key Cavalier error to score three runs and tie the game. Virginia found late magic again, scoring three runs in the eighth to pull ahead 6-3. McCarthy sealed the win in the ninth, launching a three-run home run for his second blast of the game to put Virginia up 9-3. Wake Forest picked up four runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it was still not enough to break the Cavalier lead or Virginia’s five-game road winning streak.
Virginia returns to action with a Wednesday game against Radford at Davenport Field.
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