After a six-day hiatus for exams, Virginia baseball returned to the friendly confines of Disharoon Park for a Wednesday evening clash with Towson. It was business as usual for the Cavaliers (27-16, 11-10 ACC), as they picked up a seventh win over their past eight games.
Virginia put up double-digit runs on the scoreboard for just the 16th time in 2025, as the Cavaliers incinerated the Tigers (19-31, 9-12 Colonial Athletic Association) 19-1.
19 runs is a statistic one would expect in a football game, not on the baseball diamond. The all-out offensive explosion is so impressive, considering, for reference, Virginia football scored 19 points just once in its final five games of 2024.
Primary architects of the Cavaliers’ 19-run output were junior infielder Henry Godbout and graduate catcher Jacob Ference. Together, that duo went 5-6 with four home runs and seven runs batted in. Aside from Godbout and Ference, the entire lineup was cruising, as 11 other Cavaliers drove in runs.
Towson actually struck first, though — with a 1-0 lead after the first inning. A single, walk, throwing error and sacrifice groundout led to the Tigers taking an early advantage.
Virginia’s starting pitcher, junior utilityman Chris Arroyo, was shaky. He followed the opening frame by surrendering a pair of singles and a walk in the second inning. Even so, he was able to keep the scoreboard clean — and the Cavalier offense swiftly took control.
In the bottom of the second inning, Godbout cranked a solo home run to tie the game. Ference followed with a walk, then singles by junior infielder Luke Hanson and junior outfielder Aidan Teel led to a 3-1 lead.
The Tigers never scored again. Virginia, meanwhile, tacked on at least one run in every inning after that second frame.
The fireworks arrived in earnest through a four-run outburst in the bottom of the sixth inning. Arroyo and Godbout clubbed back-to-back doubles, and Ference added a home run. Already touting an 11-1 lead, the relentless Cavaliers continued to floor the gas pedal.
In the seventh, Virginia hit around the order and tallied six more runs. It was a bizarre surge that was certainly heightened by the opponent’s mistakes. Towson plunked five Cavaliers — and issued free passes to two more via walks. Virginia only recorded one base hit through a single by sophomore outfielder Walker Buchanan, but the series of Cavaliers being hit by pitches led to more runs.
All in all, Virginia forced the Tigers to burn through six pitchers — all of whom gave up at least one run. On the other end, the Cavalier pitching staff enjoyed a much lighter evening. Virginia allowed just seven hits. Three of those came off of Arroyo, meaning that Towson recorded just five hits in the game’s final seven innings.
Junior left-handed pitcher Evan Blanco was credited with the win. He threw three near-perfect innings. He allowed one hit and no walks, and he struck out four Tigers. More importantly, he ate up innings and allowed Coach Brian O’Connor to save other arms for a hugely important weekend series versus Miami.
Against the Hurricanes, Virginia will play three games in Charlottesville — beginning Friday at 6:00 p.m. Right now, the Cavaliers sit ninth in the ACC standings, while Miami is fifth. At this pivotal final stretch of regular season play, that series may as well be a postseason series.
Virginia is currently projected to be on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, meaning that one or two more losses could be fatal. The stakes are clear. And after Wednesday’s 19-1 victory, the Cavaliers are well-positioned to play competitive baseball this weekend.
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