#19 UVa. baseball shuts out Harvard, 3-0

The No. 19 UVa. baseball team recorded its fourth shutout in five games Friday with a 3-0 blanking of Harvard at Davenport Field. UVa starting pitcher Brandon Waddell (Fr., Houston, Texas) worked six scoreless innings, extending the Cavalier starting pitchers’ scoreless streak to 40 1/3 straight innings.

Virginia pitching has allowed just three runs in its last 45 innings while lowering its team ERA to 1.67. A Virginia starter last allowed a run on Feb. 16 at East Carolina.

Waddell (2-0) allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out seven in picking up his second straight win; he lowered his ERA through three starts to 0.54 and has struck out 27 in 16 2/3 innings. Austin Young (Jr., Mechanicsville, Va.) worked two innings of relief before Josh Sborz (Fr., McLean, Va.) pitched the ninth to nab his second save for the Cavaliers (9-0). The trio combined to strike out 11.

Sam Dodge took the loss for Harvard (1-1), giving up three earned runs, five hits and two walks. He struck out a pair. The Crimson opened their season earlier in the day Friday, picking up a 2-1 win in 10 innings over Bucknell.

The teams combined for just 12 hits, with Harvard racking up seven and Virginia five. Five different Cavaliers recorded hits; Nick Howard (So., Olney, Md.) and Reed Gragnani (Sr., Richmond, Va.) each tripled and drove in a run for the Cavaliers. Carlton Bailey and DJ Link each had a pair of singles for Harvard.

Virginia started quickly with a run in the first. Branden Cogswell (So., Ballston Lake, N.Y.) singled on the first pitch, stole second, moved to third on a Jared King (R-Sr., Radford, Va.) groundout and scored on a Joe McCarthy (Fr., Scranton, Pa.) sacrifice fly.

The Cavaliers tacked on a pair of fourth-inning runs. Kenny Towns (So., Burke, Va.) singled with one out and scored when Howard tripled to deep right-center field. Gragnani then hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-0 contest.

Harvard had runners on base in all but two innings, but only once moved a runner past second base. UVa pitchers stranded nine Crimson baserunners.

Virginia will play a doubleheader Saturday, taking on Bucknell at noon and Harvard at 3 p.m. Free hot chocolate and coffee will be available while supplies last.