Riding a statement series win in last weekend’s ACC opener against North Carolina and a midweek victory over William & Mary Tuesday, No. 14 Virginia welcomed Virginia Tech to Charlottesville for the year’s 21st rendition of the Commonwealth Clash Friday.
Entering the 207th all-time matchup between these two rivals and seemingly poised for continued ACC success, the Cavaliers (15-3, 3-1 ACC) battled back-and-forth with the Hokies (8-8, 1-3 ACC) all afternoon, eventually pulling away with an 11-6 win in the first game of a crucial intrastate series.
Virginia started sophomore left-hander Henry Zatkowski, who continued to deliver for the Cavaliers — this time in the form of seven strong innings, allowing four earned runs and striking out a career-high 10 hitters. Zatkowski has continued to improve early in his sophomore season, throwing more strikes and staying ahead of hitters — allowing him to work deeper into games and anchor the Virginia rotation.
Freshman righty Ethan Grim got the nod for Virginia Tech — facing immediate trouble in the first as junior infielder Sam Harris dropped in an RBI single before senior outfielder Harrison Didawick chased him in with an RBI triple down the right field line.
Didawick stood out in Friday’s contest with four hits and an RBI, continuing his stellar start to the season after a slow junior campaign last year.
“The biggest thing for him was to play more loose, free and relaxed,” Coach Chris Pollard said postgame. “He’s become a much better fielder, but offensively he’s not trying to do too much — he’s taking what teams give him.”
The Hokies responded offensively in the top of the fourth with three consecutive base hits followed by a pair of sacrifices, bringing three runs home in the frame to put Virginia Tech back ahead 4-3.
Grim went three innings before being pulled from the game with an apparent injury in the bottom of the fourth, finishing his afternoon with three runs allowed and three strikeouts. Senior pitcher Brendan Yagesh took over in long relief, but had little success.
Virginia’s power broke out in the bottom of the fifth — Harris reached on an error and Didawick singled before junior infielder Noah Murray turned around a middle-middle breaking ball, driving it into the left field bleachers and putting the Cavaliers on top 6-4.
“[Murray is] awesome, he wants to win more than any other teammate I’ve ever had,” Gracia said. “He will do anything to help this team win, even catching bullpens when needed. It makes me feel really good.”
Zatkowski did not help himself in the sixth, committing a fielding error before allowing a two-run home run from Hokie graduate outfielder Sam Gates in the top of the sixth that tied the game back at six apiece.
From that point forward, it was all Virginia — and not those in maroon.
The Cavaliers pulled ahead in the bottom of the frame with their Preseason All-Americans providing the ultimate advantage. Junior infielder Eric Becker reached on an error before junior outfielder AJ Gracia launched a two-run opposite field home run. Gracia’s blast showcased exactly why he is one of the premier prospects in college baseball, winning a left-on-left matchup and smoothly flicking the ball halfway up the left field bleachers.
Coming back out for a seventh inning, Zatkowski rewarded Pollard’s faith with a clean frame, striking out a pair of batters to cement a successful afternoon.
“[Zatkowski] was dominant … one good swing in the first and a lot of soft contact — we toyed with the idea of throwing him back out there for the eighth,” Pollard said. “I said to our guys, the box score saying six runs is not indicative of the quality of the performance.”
Things began to spiral for Yagesh in the bottom of the seventh, walking the first two hitters before junior designated hitter Kyle Johnson singled to left field to chase Yagesh out of the ballgame. Not done yet, Virginia took advantage of continued Virginia Tech miscues as freshman third baseman Willie Hurt elected not to throw home with the infield in and instead throw to first, where the throw got away on an error from the first baseman — allowing two more runs to score.
Graduate reliever Lucas Hartman slammed the door over the final two frames, delivering a dominant relief outing to secure the opener for Virginia. Hartman allowed no hits and no earned runs while striking out four, completely neutralizing a Virginia Tech lineup that was battling just innings earlier.
Friday’s game offered further evidence of what Virginia can be at its best. The Cavaliers showed off the power that makes their lineup so dangerous, but just as importantly, they paired it with efficient, strike-throwing pitching. When Virginia gets both of those elements working in tandem, it looks every bit like a team capable of contending near the top of the ACC.
The Cavaliers will have a chance to clinch the Commonwealth Clash series Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. Virginia will start sophomore left-hander Max Stammel as it looks to build on Friday’s statement win and secure another important conference series to start ACC play.
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