The third game of this weekend’s series against VCU saw the Cavaliers journey to Richmond for an afternoon contest at The Diamond. After a convincing short outing two weeks ago against VMI, freshman John Paone earned the first weekend start of his Virginia career in the last game before a southern trip takes the Cavaliers (10-1, 0-0 ACC) into North Carolina this week.
The Cavaliers got off to yet another hot start, with junior outfielder AJ Gracia launching a home run in the first inning for the second straight game. On the mound for the Rams was graduate right-hander Fenix DiGiacomo, and he found his rhythm following the opening blast, striking out senior outfielder Harrison Didawick to close out the first.
The early innings on the defensive end were marked by domination from Paone. The Rams’ only two hits in the first three innings were meager infield singles, and he continued to induce weak contact throughout the beginning of his outing. Six of the nine outs in that phase of play came on the ground.
The Rams’ avenue to outs was far more turbulent. DiGiacomo retired four on strikes in the second and third, and a relief appearance from junior Nick Frers resulted in five more strikeouts, but the Cavaliers were squaring up the baseball. Deep balls and line drives from junior third baseman Noah Murray, sophomore outfielder Zach Jackson and junior shortstop Eric Becker all found gloves in the outfield.
Some insurance came in the fifth, when freshman catcher Thomas O’Connell drove a ball into right center for what looked to be a single. Junior right fielder Trent Adelman was in hot pursuit, but he overran the ball and fumbled the retrieval, allowing for a determined O’Connell to wheel his way around to third base with nobody down.
A sacrifice fly off the bat of Becker would bring him home, and the Cavaliers extended their lead to two while Paone continued to hold down the fort on the other side of the ball.
The Rams did create chances in the middle innings, but found it hard to convert on any of them. A single and a hit-by-pitch left two runners on in the fourth, but a timely strikeout of designated hitter Teige Lethert put an end to the inning.
Two singles left runners on the corners for catcher Jacob Lee, who flew out to center to complete the fifth inning. In the sixth, left fielder Nick Flores singled and stole a base, moving up to third on a flyout before Lethert failed to bring him home with a pop-up to Paone.
The pivotal point of separation came in the top of the eighth. Junior first baseman Sam Harris singled, and Murray got a free pass to set the stage for Jackson. He took advantage, pouncing on a high delivery in a lefty-lefty matchup and driving it deep over the wall in right field for a three-run home run.
The five-run advantage proved to be too much for the Rams to handle, though they made a legitimate push in the eighth and ninth to post three runs. Freshman Jayden Stroman and senior right-hander Kevin Jaxel took the full brunt of the comeback attempt, conceding four hits and two walks between them.
A lineout to Gracia in center field sealed the deal, however, and the Cavaliers escaped Richmond with a 3-0 series demolition. For Coach Pollard, the postgame praise went directly to Paone.
“The conversation starts with John Paone. What a terrific start. He really showed complete control,” Pollard said following the game. “I loved his mound presence, and he was able to get the ball to both sides of the plate with run on the fastball to the arm side and a really good shape to the slider.”
Jackson’s impact on late-game proceedings didn’t go without notice, either.
“He’s a guy that has got a lot of baseball in front of him. I’ve been talking him up for a while now and he’s just now scratching the surface,” Pollard said. “Left on left, that’s a heck of a swing, especially the way this ballpark was playing.”
Two mid-week contests against Charlotte will give the Cavaliers ample preparation for a daunting task ahead, as they go into Chapel Hill to face No. 8 UNC this upcoming weekend. Tuesday night’s matchup will be available to watch on ESPN+ and broadcast over the airwaves on WINA 98.9 FM.
Read More
Weismer walks it off as Party at Palmer gives the Cavaliers plenty to celebrate
By Ben McNiff | 21 hours ago“Everyone is getting us ready for ACC play,” Hardin said. “That’s what this part of the season is all about — seeing who can do what and when and how. It’s to put ourselves in high-leverage situations, put ourselves in tough situations and compete.”
Dietrich takes down Svajda as No. 2 men’s tennis beats SMU
By Thomas Baxter | 22 hours agoThe Cavaliers will now travel to the west coast for matches at California and No. 12 Stanford.
Women’s basketball’s furious comeback falls short on Senior Day, Virginia Tech escapes 83-82
By Aimee Crosbie | 22 hours agoVirginia now turns its attention to postseason play — as the No. 8 seed in the standings — where the Cavaliers will need that kind of urgency from the opening tip, not just when their backs are against the wall.
