Virginia needed a run in the ninth to stave off defeat, then got a walkoff RBI single from Henry Godbout to eek out a 4-3 win over UMass in the opener of a three-game series at Disharoon Park on Friday.
#13 UVA (9-0) got a solid start out of lefty Evan Blanco (1-0, 2.08 ERA), who went five and two-thirds innings, giving up a pair of unearned runs, striking out eight, walking three and allowing just one base hit.
But UMass (1-4) took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on a two-run homer from Mike Gervasi, who was 2-for-4 on the day.
Virginia had a chance to tie the score in the eighth on a single through the right side off the bat of Ethan Anderson.
Henry Ford, who had reached on a two-base error, tried to score on the base hit, but was called out at the plate.
Still down a run in the bottom of the ninth, Godbout led off with a double down the leftfield line, advanced to third on a Luke Hanson sacrifice bunt, with Hanson reaching base on a throwing error by UMass third baseman Jack Beverly.
Bobby Whalen, up next, scored Godbout from third with a sacrifice fly to center.
Virginia would load the bases on a single by Griff O’Ferrall and a walk to Anthony Stephan, but Ford popped up behind the plate for out number two, and Anderson grounded out to first to end the threat.
UVA closer Aidan Teel (2-0, 1.59 ERA) pitched around an O’Ferrall throwing error to put up a goose egg in the top of the 10th.
Virginia, then, in its half of the 10th, got a one-out single from Harrison Didawick, who stole second, then scored on a single to right off the bat of Godbout, on an 0-2 pitch.
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Chris Graham
