UVA Baseball, coming off a rough weekend down in Texas, gutted out a 6-4 win on Tuesday over a VMI team that came to The Dish undefeated and riding high.
The Cavaliers (4-3), ranked as high as eighth, as low as 13th, in the national polls after a 1-2 weekend at the Round Rock Classic, trailed early, got on top on a second-inning grand slam off the bat of slugger Chris Arroyo that initially looked like an inning-ending pop fly to right, and closed the Keydets out with Kevin Jaxel going three and a third innings in relief on a staff day.
VMI (7-1) made things interesting, and kept it tight throughout.
The start of the game was delayed two hours as UVA Police and Charlottesville Police searched the area for a fugitive, and put out a shelter-in-place order for an area of Grounds including Disharoon Park.
The late start on an unusually warm late February afternoon – 65 degrees and sunny at the 5:06 p.m. first pitch – helped draw a larger-than-expected crowd of 3,934 for the home opener.
VMI, which came in averaging a hearty 14.0 runs per game in its first seven, got on top early, scoring in the first on a Cole Raile RBI single, and adding to the lead in the second on a fielding error by first baseman Henry Ford on a two-out, runners-at-the-corners double steal.
Virginia left the bases loaded in the first, and looked to be on the verge of doing the same when Arroyo, with the bases loaded and two down in the bottom of the second, skied a 1-0 pitch from Roberto Velasquez high into the air in right.
At first glance, and first sound, it appeared the fly ball would be a lazy out #3, but the ball carried into the UVA bullpen for a grand slam, one of Arroyo’s three hits on a 3-for-4 day at the plate.
VMI got a run back to get the score to 4-3 in the third on an RBI groundout from Ryan Peterson.
The UVA offense added two unearned runs in the fifth on an error on a grounder of the bat of nine-hole hitter James Nunnallee – the error coming when Peterson, the catcher, misplayed a throw from third baseman Seth Buchanan, who was trying to cut down Harrison Didawick trying to score from third.
It would stay there at 6-3 until VMI got a run closer in the eighth, when Bradley Garner scored Grayson Fitzwater from third with a sac-fly RBI to center.
Ryan Osinski got the save with an inning and a third of scoreless, hitless relief, striking out the final two batters in the ninth to nail down the win.
Jaxel (1-0, 1.80 ERA) was credited with the win, giving up one hit and walking two, striking out four, in three and a third innings of scoreless relief.
Last year’s #1 starter, Evan Blanco, made his 2025 season debut, giving up a run on three hits, all singles, in the first inning.
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Chris Graham
