Second-ranked Virginia rallied twice from two-run deficits, but Michigan scored the game-winning run on a walkoff error by first baseman Antonio Perrotta in the 11th in a 5-4 win on Friday in the opening game of the Puerto Rico Challenge.
The ‘Hoos (0-1) fell behind early, with UM getting to opening-day starter Jay Woolfolk for a pair of runs in the first, before Woolfolk, a hero in UVA’s run to a College World Series berth in 2024, settled down.
The righty kept the Wolverines off the scoreboard from there, striking out five, allowing six hits and walking one in four and two-thirds innings of work.
Junior first baseman Chris Arroyo, a JUCO transfer from Pasco-Hernando State, where he hit .403 with 19 homers last season, was 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI single that tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth, and a two-run homer that tied the game again, at 4-4, in the seventh.
Virginia only got two baserunners from there – a leadoff infield single in the eighth by DH Harrison Didawick, who would be caught stealing on the back end of a strike-‘em-out-throw-‘em-out double play, and a one-out 10th inning walk to Arroyo, who was lifted for a pinch-runner ahead of a strikeout by catcher Jacob Ference and a flyout off the bat of Didawick.
Second baseman Mitch Voit led off the bottom of the 11th with a walk on a 3-2 pitch from Virginia reliever Ryan Osinski (3.1 IP, one unearned run, no hits, five Ks, two walks).
Osinski got DH Ryan Turner to pop up for out #1, then catcher Matt Spear hit a grounder down the first-base line that skipped past Perrotta, who replaced Arroyo in the field in the 10th.
Voit raced around the bases from first to score on the miscue.
Shortstop and leadoff man Eric Becker was 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored for Virginia, which will face Villanova on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Game 2 of the Puerto Rico Challenge.
The Cavaliers will start sophomore righthander Bryson Moore (2-0, 1.38 ERA in 2024) on the mound.
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Chris Graham
