Entering the eighth inning Sunday against North Dakota State, junior utilityman Kyle Johnson was called upon to pinch hit.
Johnson had only taken seven at-bats in Virginia’s first six games due in part to precautionary playing time restrictions. Johnson will not pitch until he gets the all-clear — but he can still contribute as a hitter. The Cavaliers (6-1, 0-0 ACC) need him to.
So he did.
On a 2-0 breaking ball, Johnson smashed a home run 409 feet to take a 5-4 lead and push Virginia past the Bison (1-7, 0-0 Summit League). The winning play was Johnson’s first home run of the season.
“Just incredibly proud of the way Kyle Johnson played today,” Coach Chris Pollard said. “We've adopted this phrase ‘Be the Buffalo,’ and that's a great example of it.”
However, the Cavaliers’ win was not a perfect one as their offense scored just two runs in the first five innings. That is surprising for an ACC heavyweight facing a North Dakota State team that has just one win in its first eight games, all but one of which came against mid-major competition.
Virginia has also faced loads of mid-major competition, including a loss to Stetson Saturday. In that walk-off defeat against the Hatters, the Cavaliers’ issues were clear — predominantly the pitching staff’s command issues as they collectively issued 12 walks.
This time around, Virginia only allowed eight baserunners all morning Sunday in DeLand, Fla. against North Dakota State in the 5-4 win.
Cavalier pitchers allowed four runs in the first five innings but the bullpen kept the Bison off of the scoreboard for the final five frames. The bullpen trio of senior Kevin Jaxel, junior Drew Koenen and graduate Lucas Hartman led the scoreless relief performance.
Meanwhile, the Cavalier offense took a few innings to get going — even though North Dakota State’s pitching staff has a 6.91 earned run average.
Virginia tallied its first runs in the third inning off of a two-run blast from junior outfielder AJ Gracia. The home run drove in junior shortstop Eric Becker — who returned to the starting lineup after a minor injury kept him out Saturday.
By the middle of the sixth inning, though, the Cavaliers trailed 4-2 after freshman pitcher John Paone and senior pitcher Joe Colucci gave up a handful of runs.
Eventually, Virginia responded. Junior second baseman Joe Tiroly and senior outfielder Harrison Didawick both walked and each advanced a base on a passed ball. Graduate catcher Noah Jouras cut into the Cavaliers’ deficit with a sacrifice fly — but Virginia could not do more damage as Jouras’ RBI was sandwiched between two Cavalier strikeouts.
Trailing 4-3 entering the bottom of the seventh, Virginia continued to whittle away at the Bison lead. North Dakota State issued a pair of free passes, which junior first baseman Sam Harris capitalized on. Harris ripped a single into right field, driving in another run to tie the game at 4-4. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, Tiroly grounded into a double play to end Virginia’s hopes of adding another run in the inning.
Missed opportunities did not plague Virginia forever — Johnson’s heroic home run in the eighth inning was enough to avoid another upset loss.
Hartman worked around a walk and a single in the ninth inning to slam the door on the Bison offense, complete with a strikeout to end the game. Hartman was credited with his second win of the 2026 campaign.
The bullpen did its part to keep the Cavaliers in the game Sunday. The starting arms, however, have yet to tap into their full potential. Of the four Virginia pitchers who have started this season, three have an ERA over 4.50.
For now, the Cavaliers have been able to stay afloat despite that statistic. However, the road ahead becomes more difficult, starting with a Tuesday afternoon duel with George Washington. The game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m., to be broadcast on ACCNX.
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