Tuesday’s midweek matchup against Georgetown saw No. 9 Virginia complete a late, come-from-behind win. Wednesday’s game at Worthington Field in Lynchburg appeared to be headed in the opposite direction at the start, but the Cavaliers (18-4, 4-2 ACC) were still forced to grind out the win over Liberty.
For the second straight day, Virginia was outhit by its opponent in a victory. The Flames (13-7, 1-2 CUSA) piled up 17 hits while holding Virginia to just nine, but the Cavaliers ultimately did enough to escape with a 14-12 win.
Virginia took a patient approach early, capitalizing on Liberty’s inability to consistently throw strikes. Senior right-hander Aydan Decker-Petty got the ball for the Flames, though his outing was over almost as soon as it began.
Decker-Petty struggled immensely with his command, hitting his first batter, walking three more and allowing one hit and five earned runs in just 0.1 innings. Junior catcher Jake Weatherspoon blew the game open with a three-RBI double down the left-field line, driving in three on a fastball left over the heart of the plate.
The inning was capped by an RBI single from junior infielder Eric Becker that made it 7-0 in the top of the first.
Junior right hander Matt Augustin got the start for the Cavaliers and went one inning, walking one hitter but working through a clean first to preserve Virginia’s early lead.
“It’s almost an invisa-fastball, he produces a lot of swing and miss,” Coach Chris Pollard said. “Great to get him in that spot … looking for guys who can be a part of this rotation, [Augustin] showed today he can be one of those guys.”
A pair of sacrifice flies from junior infielder Noah Murray and junior designated hitter Kyle Johnson in the second pushed across another two runs and again highlighted Virginia’s recent success with situational hitting.
Sophomore righty Michael Yeager ran into trouble in three innings of work for the Cavaliers. In the fourth, a solo home run and a two-RBI triple inched the Flames closer – cutting the deficit to 9-4 after falling behind big early.
Virginia answered with five more runs over the next two innings to seemingly put the game away.
Weatherspoon and junior outfielder AJ Gracia each added RBI singles in the top of the fifth. In just his third game back from injury, Weatherspoon turned in a standout performance at the plate. Batting in the nine-hole, Weatherspoon’s production underscores the depth of a lineup capable of turning over and producing throughout the order.
“This is by far, one of the best lineups that I’ve been a part of,” Weatherspoon said. “Being able to be in the nine-hole with [Becker] and [Gracia] behind me, [it] gives me confidence that I don’t have to put too much pressure on myself.”
Senior outfielder Harrison Didawick launched his second home run of the season in the sixth, a two-run shot that continued his strong start. Long known for his power, Didawick has looked more complete this season, adding stolen bases and extra-base production to become one of the ACC’s more well-rounded players.
Up 14-4 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Cavaliers were three outs from escaping Lynchburg with a seven-inning run-rule victory. The Flames had other plans.
Putting up three runs on a pair of hits while taking advantage of a throwing miscue from junior Virginia pitcher Drew Koenen, Liberty battled to cut the lead to seven – and they weren’t done.
In the bottom of the eighth, junior first baseman Riley DeCandido hit his second home run of the afternoon, this time a three-run shot to right field. Graduate reliever Lucas Hartman came in to shut down the inning as he has done so often early in this season for the Cavaliers.
A messy ninth inning saw two more Liberty runs, with an error and a wild pitch indicative of an uneven day overall for Virginia’s pitching staff and defense. Hartman eventually recorded the final strikeout, and the Cavaliers escaped with their second consecutive midweek win.
Virginia now returns to Charlottesville for a critical series clash with No. 24 Wake Forest, with first pitch Friday set for 6 p.m. Although the Cavaliers added two midweek wins to the ledger, there is plenty to clean up on the mound and on defense heading into a marquee ACC matchup.
The Demon Deacons (16-5, 3-3 ACC) enter the weekend with an urgency of their own following a sweep at the hands of now-No. 11 Florida State last weekend in Winston-Salem, scoring just six runs across three games. That said, the stage is set for a charged weekend at Disharoon Park.
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