Reliever Brandon Neeck struck out 16 ODU hitters in the longest outing of his career, and Virginia forced a winner-take-all game with top seed ODU with an 8-3 win Sunday night in Columbia, S.C.
Neeck relieved UVA starter Griff McGarry, who was forced to leave the game in the fourth with a blister on his right thumb.
McGarry had been staked to a 5-0 lead heading into the fourth before giving up solo homers to Kenny Levari and Carter Trice, then walking the bases loaded.
Neeck walked Thomas Wheeler to force in a third run, but struck out Kyle Battle to get out of the inning without any further damage.
Virginia (32-24) added a run in the fifth on a two-out throwing error by Trice that allowed Nic Kent to score, and then tacked on two more in the ninth on a Logan Michaels two-run single.
UVA and ODU will meet on Monday for a spot in the Super Regionals.
Story by Chris Graham
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