Virginia’s stay in Charlotte this week will be short. The Cavaliers were eliminated from the placement in the semifinals of the ACC Baseball Championship after the 13-3 defeat by Florida on Wednesday at Trust Field in Charlotte.
Brian O’Connor was forced to use a total of seven pitchers in the game, as the Seminoles placed nine runs on the board in the first four innings and were all around the Virginia staff from start to finish. After UVA starter Brian Gurski hit the first two hitters he faced, Jaime Ferrer hit a single with two outs and then scored on the next field as Brett Roberts doubled the center right and drove in the first run.
Gurski provided the second inning without a goal, but dropped out of the game in the third. He gave up consecutive singles to start inning, and then gave up on Ferrer’s double run. After another single and a wild match, Gurski gave another double match to James Tibbs, which meant the end of Gurski’s afternoon. UVA put in Jay Wolfolk, who gave up two runs in the game from Alec Toral before finally coming out of the inning when Florida State led 7-0.
The ordeal continued for the Cavaliers in the fourth inning. Wolffolk gave up on a double match for Tyler Martin, followed by an RBI single to Jordan Kerion. Wolfolk passed the next striker, and then Jake Gelof’s mistake at third base allowed another series to score 9-0.
Virginia finally arrived at the board at the bottom of the fourth. Alex Tapen and Jake Geloff started the inning with consecutive singles, but Devin Ortiz then hit in a double play. Even with two cars, UVA managed to hold the inning. Kyle Till threw the ball into the right center, which he stretched into a three-pointer, while Alex Tapen scored from third place. Casey Sauke then scored a double goal for Teel, and Saucke returned home on the next field while Itan Anderson hit the middle and scored 9-3. The Cavaliers did no additional damage in the inning after Chris Newell hit. Had Ortiz not entered the double play, UVA would probably have scored at least a few more runs.
The fourth inning of three runs was the only goal for Virginia of the day, as UVA bats fought almost as much as Cavalier pitchers. The state of Florida needed only two pitchers to keep one of the nation’s best attacks on three runs. UVA had 10 goals in the game, but kept seven players at base. State of Florida starter Bryce Hubbart played four innings, allowing three earned streaks on seven goals and hitting four shots. Habarta was replaced in the fifth by Wyatt Crowell, who kept the Cavaliers off the table and gave only three goals and recorded six strikeouts.
The State of Florida added two runs in the seventh to two runs home run by Reese Albert and two more runs in the eighth to two runs of the single Toral, giving the Seminoles a ten-run advantage.
Crowell put out the Cavaliers in the eighth and kept the FSU lead 13-3, activating the 10-run rule and ending the game. This is the first time that Virginia has been led in the ACC tournament since 2006.
With a loss, it is now impossible for Virginia (38-16) to advance to Saturday’s semifinals, regardless of the outcome of the second UVA billiards game against Notre Dame on Friday. The winner of the match Notre Dame-Florida State on Thursday will advance to the semifinals. The Cavaliers and Fighting Irish will meet Friday at 11 a.m. at Trust Field in Charlotte.
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