The Virginia baseball team has won 10 of its last 11 games, but none resembled Friday afternoon’s victory that was both dramatic and anti-climatic at the same time. UVA rallied for the lead in each of the last two innings, but finally snared a 7-6 victory against rival Virginia Tech without the ball leaving the infield on any of the key plays during the final at-bat.
The Hoos trailed throughout the game and fell behind 5-2 before they rallied in the eighth inning with four runs, including a two-run home run from Charlie Cody. He’s hit three homers in the last five games. That lead, however, was short-lived as the Hokies struck back in the top of the ninth to force a tie. The Cavaliers came through for good in the bottom half of the frame, but it was far from a conventional comeback story. UVA put together an infield hit, a walk, an error, and a final walk-off walk to get the victory.
“It was a great win for us, a come-from-behind victory,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said. “I was proud of our team to fall down three runs and come back with a four-spot and take the lead. We’re winning games in different forms and I like where we are at right now and how we are playing.”
Different forms included an identical 7-6 score in a ninth inning win at Pittsburgh early in this recent hot streak, but that one followed a slightly more traditional formula with a hit by pitch, walk, fielder’s choice, and Justin Novak line drive. Against the Hokies, Daniel Pinero got the winning sequence started with an infield hit that matched a career-high 4 of 5 outing for the shortstop. Adam Haseley drew a walk and Nate Eikhoff followed with a grounder to shortstop that turned from a potential one-out, inning-ending double play into an error when Ryan Tufts booted it.
That brought Jack Gerstenmaier to the plate with the bases loaded and a chance to win it for the hosts. With instructions that O’Connor described as “be aggressive, but make sure it’s in the strike zone,” he eventually drew a walk to set off another Davenport Field celebration. Pinero scored the winning run.
”I would compare him to a Thomas Woodruff of sorts, just coming off the bench and doing whatever you need him to do,” Bettinger said of Gerstenmaier. ”He played second base a little bit when Haseley was in the Saturday role. He’s a guy that you know can come off the bench [and be] a clutch hitter – he’s real patient at the plate, which is really tough to do if you don’t get ABs every day and you’re put in that tough spot. Cap off to him.”
The walk to score the winning run featured a bit of a turnabout-is-fair-play narrative for the Wahoos. Bettinger started the game with a struggle-filled first inning that saw the Hokies jump out to an immediate 3-0 edge. He walked four of the first five batters, which included a free run courtesy of a walk. Sam Fragale, who later homered with a bat flip in the eighth inning, followed that first run with a 2 RBI double.
Bettinger, who got a mound visit from pitching coach Karl Kuhn, knew early on that he was going to have to claw his way to outs.
”I don’t like to think about it before the game, but after a couple of batters you’re like I’m probably not going to have my best day today but I’ve got to do what I have to do to get outs,” Bettinger said. “I just had to bounce back and attack.”
As it turned out, Bettinger bounced back and more as he suddenly strung together five solid innings of work. He allowed only three base runners total over his final 5.1 innings on the mound. For the game, the junior right-hander pitched six innings with 7 strikeouts and 6 walks. He allowed three runs and two hits.
“I was proud of Alec Bettinger,” O’Connor said. “Certainly in the first inning, having four walks, was difficult to stomach and to watch. But I think Alec lasting through the sixth inning is what won us the ballgame. He really buckled down his last five innings.”
The Cavaliers have now won five straight ACC series. They topped UNC, Miami, Pitt, and Georgia Tech prior to taking the first two games against Virginia Tech this week. The Hoos go for the sweep on Saturday at 4 p.m. in their regular season finale.
UVA also clinched a point in the already decided Commonwealth Clash with Friday’s win. Virginia finished with a 14-7 advantage in the overall competition against Virginia Tech to claim the Commonwealth Clash for the second straight year.
