Virginia scored the game’s first seven runs in a 7-1 series-opening win at Boston College on Thursday. The Cavaliers (26-21, 17-17 ACC) have won four-consecutive game and have been victorious in their last four ACC series openers.
Senior Andrew Abbott was brilliant again and earned his seventh win of the season after pitching 6.2 innings of shutout baseball. The reigning ACC Pitcher of the Week struck out 11, the fourth time in his last five starts he has fanned 10 or more batters.
Abbott surrendered just three hits on the night and issued three free passes. He struck out six of the last 10 batters he faced.
The tenth strikeout of the night moved the lefthander into sole possession of second place on UVA’s career strikeout list. His night ended with his career strikeout total at 291.
Before Abbott took the mound in the bottom of first inning, he found himself with a 4-0 advantage. Virginia scored four runs, all with two outs, in its first at bat of the game off BC starter Emmet Sheehan.
The four runs were the most by the Cavaliers in the first inning this season.
Consecutive RBI hits by Kyle Teel, Nic Kent and Chris Newell gave the Cavaliers the early advantage. Newell capped the rally with a single to left field that scored two runs.
Newell finished the night 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI and two stolen bases. He extended his hit streak to eight games, the longest on the club and the longest of his career.
Teel and Kent found themselves in the middle of the other run-scoring inning for Virginia in the fifth. Teel drove in his second run of the game to start the three-run frame and then came around on a two-RBI single up the middle by Kent.
Teel was 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI while Kent went 3-for-5 with a game-high three RBI. The multi-RBI performance for Kent was his ninth of the season, second most on the team. Teel has reached base in 10-straight games.
Senior Brendan Rivoli continued his hot hitting with a three-hit night, his team-best 19th multi-hit effort of the year.
Righthander Kyle Whitten tossed the final 2.1 innings relief and struck out five batters. Abbott and Whitten combined to strikeout 16 batters, the 32nd time this season UVA pitchers have combined to strike out 10 or more batters in a game.
The series will continue on Friday with the middle game of a three-game set. Virginia will send righthander Mike Vasil (6-4) to the mound, and he will be opposed by righty Mason Pelio.
First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. and will air live on ACCNX.
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Chris Graham
