Baseball: #16 Virginia gets 11 hits, strong pitching outings, in 11-1 win over GW

Three Cavaliers had multi-hit days, and starting pitcher Nate Savino was solid again to key #16 UVA to an 11-1 win over George Washington on Tuesday.

The ‘Hoos (5-3) had 11 hits, with Max Cotier going 2-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBI, Brendan Rivoli recording a double and a triple in a 2-for-5 day at the plate and Nick Kent notching his fifth two-hit game of year after going 2-for-5 with two runs scored from the leadoff spot.

Savino set down the first 10 batters he faced and pitched into the fifth inning in his second start of the year. The lefty struck out four batters and did not allow an earned run or issue a walk in 4.2 innings pitched.

“I thought, collectively, a number of guys to do some good things offensively,” coach Brian O’Connor said. “I told the team after the game that we did not, from an offensive standpoint in North Carolina, do a very good job of getting the leadoff batter on. I think I can count them on count them on one hand the amount of times we did in the 27 innings (at North Carolina).

“Tonight, we had five out of the eight innings (with the leadoff man on) and certainly that makes a difference in your offensive production. It allows you to do some different things, some things to create chances and increase your chances of scoring so I thought, we did a good job in that area.”

The Cavaliers plated a pair of unearned runs in the first inning and never looked back. The game broke open in the seventh with a four-run rally in which Virginia sent all nine batters got to the plate. The final run of the frame came off the bat of freshman Kyle Teel, who came on as a pinch-hitter in the sixth.

The RBI single up the middle was his first collegiate hit and scored Zack Gelof to make the score 2-1.

Virginia used a total of seven pitchers, none of which gave up an earned run. Sophomore Matt Wyatt relieved Savino in the fifth and recorded the next three outs to pick up his first win of the season.

Junior Blake Bales made his team-best, fifth appearance and retired all three batters he faced, two by strikeout.

The Cavaliers will hit the road this weekend and travel to Tallahassee to take on Florida State.

The series will begin Friday with the opener at 6 p.m. All three games will be broadcast live on ACCNX.