You know how MLB starting pitchers get a pat on the back for pitching into the sixth? UVA Baseball ace Jay Woolfolk gave his team eight strong tonight, in a 12-2 series-opening win at Virginia Tech.
Before you start wondering, why have him go eight in a blowout, it wasn’t a blowout until very late.
Virginia (31-16, 15-10 ACC) led just 3-2 going into the eighth, after Woolfolk (4-2, 4.26 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) surrendered a two-run homer to Tech first baseman Sam Tackett.
The ‘Hoos scored five in the top of the eighth, with Chris Arroyo getting things started with a leadoff homer, his 10th of the season, followed by RBI singles from Harrison Didawick and Luke Hanson, and a two-run single from Eric Becker.
Woolfolk pitched around a leadoff single in the bottom of the eighth, aided by a 6-4-3 double play.
Then the Cavaliers added a four-spot in the ninth, the big shot being a two-run homer from Jacob Ference, his eighth homer of the season, which broke things open.
The loss for Virginia Tech (29-23, 11-17 ACC) is the 11th in the Hokies’ last 13 ACC games.
Back to Woolfolk: he only needed 94 pitches to get through eight innings.
His final statline: two runs on five hits, six Ks, one walk.
Game 2 of the series is set for a 3 p.m. ET first pitch.
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Chris Graham
