UVA Baseball: Late rally lifts ‘Hoos to win on frigid day at The Dish

I can’t imagine playing baseball on a day like Tuesday – temperatures in the 30s, winds howling.

And then, ninth-ranked Virginia found itself down 4-2 to Georgetown going into stretch time in the seventh.

“I thought it was a really gritty performance by our team. We really had to weather a really good starting pitcher,” first-year UVA coach Chris Pollard said after the come-from-behind 6-4 win.

You see what he did there.

But actually, he wasn’t making a funny about the weather, and was instead speaking with high praise of GU starter JT Raab, who had a 3.63 ERA in 74.1 innings in 2025, put up a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings in the Cape Cod League in the summer, but got a late start to his 2026 season as he recovered from an offseason injury.

Raab is rounding back into shape in the midweek, and on Tuesday, he held Virginia (17-4) to two runs on three hits in five innings, striking out eight and walking none.

“People will probably look at his numbers to start this season and say he had a seven ERA or whatever it was, but JT Raab was their number one last year and was one of the best pitchers in the Big East. He is working his way back into shape in the midweek after having a late start because of an injury. When it is on, and it was on today, it is as unicorn of a fastball as there is in college baseball, and it gave us some fits,” Pollard said.

Georgetown (13-9) took a 4-2 lead in the top of seventh on a two-run homer from Connor Price, his fourth of the season, but Virginia responded with a four-run rally in the bottom half – highlighted by a game-tying two-run single from Harrison Didawick (.373 BA/.905 OPS, 1 HR, 20 RBIs) and a tie-breaking RBI single from Eric Becker (.325 BA/.946 OPS, 3 HRs, 25 RBIs).

Kevin Jaxel (4-0, 4.05 ERA), who surrendered the seventh inning homer, came back out for the eighth, and retired the side in order, to be credited with the win.

Tyler Kapa (four saves, 1.46 ERA) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to close things out.

Sam Harris (.359 BA/.1.234 OPS, 8 HRs, 26 RBIs) was 2-for-4 at the plate with a two-run homer in the first.