For a few minutes Tuesday afternoon, Virginia looked vulnerable. But only for a few.
The Cavaliers, and junior shortstop Eric Becker, were shaky at the beginning, when he airmailed a throw that resulted in an error. He partially vindicated himself by assisting on the out to end the top of the first. As the leadoff hitter, he was right back out at the plate, and he took pitch one from sophomore lefty Nathan Murphy. Pitch two, though, he was fully committed to swinging. He did not miss.
A 441-foot home run by Becker — his first of the season — smacked off of the batter’s eye in center field. That score alone would have been enough for Virginia to win, but the team continued to add runs. The Cavaliers (7-1, 0-0 ACC) ultimately beat the Revolutionaries (1-6, 0-0 Atlantic 10) 11-0 in a match that was never particularly close. The victory continued Virginia’s undefeated start to the season at home.
“I mean, it obviously felt really good,” Eric Becker said postgame. “[It was a] really good swing. But just trying to stay on the barrel, that’s kind of what I just try to do going up there.”
Forty-five pitches after allowing a leadoff homer, the Cavalier offense had shelled Murphy, leading to a 5-0 Virginia lead. The Revolutionary starter left two men on base for sophomore pitcher Aiden Carey to inherit, by which time Virginia had batted back around to the top of the lineup.
Carey could do little to contain the cannonade of Cavalier runs, though, as the lead climbed to 7-0 before the inning’s end. Before recording three outs, the Revolutionary arms expended 59 pitches.
“No matter what the score is, [the mission is to] just keep applying pressure,” Becker said. “You never know, you know, what could happen. You know, defensively, they, you know, they could have one big inning. So it’s just keep applying pressure, keep trying to, you know, put runs.”
The second inning was quiet, with no runs for either team. Freshman lefty Noah Yoder, with just over an inning to his name early in the season, replaced freshman Jayden Stroman — who started for the Cavaliers — in the third inning. Yoder allowed a single hit in both the third and fourth innings. Along the way, he showcased tantalizing heat, with multiple pitches coming in at or above 97 mph.
By the bottom of the fourth inning, George Washington had blown through as many pitchers as innings. A double from junior outfielder AJ Gracia continued the pressure from Virginia. After advancing to third base on a passed ball, Gracia was driven home by a groundout from junior infielder Sam Harris, adding another run to the Cavaliers’ total before the inning's end.
As the sun began to set, the fifth inning saw three Revolutionaries come up to bat, and all three were quickly set down. Save for a walk from senior catcher Noah Jouras, the Cavaliers met the same fate. With the bright night lights shining on the field, freshman pitcher Christian Lucarelli continued the superb pitching for Virginia, with no hits and only a single walk in his two innings on the mound.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Revolutionary freshman pitcher Henry Knighton gave up two walks before allowing an RBI single to senior outfielder Harrison Didawick, extending the Cavaliers lead to nine. Virginia threatened to extend the lead when sophomore infielder Aiden Harris put a ball into play, but a fielder’s choice from George Washington ultimately ended that possibility.
In the top of the seventh, a pair of walks drove junior pitcher Matt Augustin out of the game after just one out. This brought Brendan Cowen to the mound, who ultimately retired the side in 5 pitches. Despite his brief stint, Augustin, who has recovered from multiple injuries and has not seen action since 2024, expressed pride in the opportunity to play again.
“I had some butterflies in my stomach, but it was a lot of fun being back out there,” Augustin said.
With the possibility of a run-rule game in the cards if Virginia scored another run, sophomore outfielder Zach Johnson drew a walk. Jouras also earned a free pass. That brought up Becker, who doubled to right field — Johnson and Jouras came around to score, ending the game in the seventh inning at 11-0.
“I thought it was our most complete performance of the year,” Coach Chris Pollard said. “I thought our approach in the first inning was good, but I thought with two outs in the first, our approach was elite, and stayed on the gas and continued to push runs across.”
Pollard heaped praise on pitchers and hitters alike.
“[I’m] really proud of Jayden Stroman,” Pollard said. “He’s had two good outings [before Wednesday] and earned that start.”
Pollard also praised his catcher of the afternoon. Jouras not only assisted his young pitchers defensively, but also frequently found his way on base.
“The star of the game was Noah Jouras,” Pollard said. “[He] had four terrific at bats, extended the inning twice, but he handled these young arms really, really well.”
As classes at the University pause for the spring recess, the Cavaliers continue their season Sunday against VCU. The Rams (4-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10), coming off a run-rule loss in Chapel Hill, N.C. against North Carolina, will play the first two of a three-game series in Charlottesville before the series shifts to Richmond for the final game.
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