CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Virginia (50-13) punched its ticket to the College World Series with a 12-2 win over Duke (39-24) in game three of the Charlottesville Super Regional at Disharoon Park on Sunday (June 11). The Cavaliers are headed to Omaha for the sixth time in program history, all have come under the direction of head coach Brian O’Connor. Sunday’s victory also marked the fourth time that UVA has come back to win a Super Regional series after dropping the opening game.
Righthander Brian Edgington pitched a complete game, the second of his career, scattered nine hits and allowed two runs, both of which came in the sixth inning. Edgington finished with a season-high 11 strikeouts, just one shy of matching his career best. He has surrendered just two runs in 14 innings this postseason. The complete game is the first by a Cavalier in the NCAA Tournament since Brandon Waddell against Vanderbilt in the 2014 College World Series finals (6/24/14).
Offensively, nine different Cavaliers came up with a hit, including leadoff hitter Griff O’Ferrall, who finished 4-for-5 at the plate with one RBI. Kyle Teel went 2-for-4 and notched a game-high four RBIs. Both Ethan Anderson and Anthony Stephan blasted home runs in the win. In six games against the Blue Devils this year, Anderson was 12-for-22 with five doubles, three home runs and seven RBIs. Anderson reached base four times and matched a career-high by drawing three walks in the contest.
The Cavaliers sent 10 batters to the plate in the second inning and exploded for five runs on five hits. Harrison Didawick roped a ball that nipped the glove of a jumping Alex Mooney at shortstop and trickled into shallow left center, which brought home Casey Saucke to get the rally going.
Back-to-back RBI singles by O’Ferrall and Ethan O’Donnellscored Stephan and Didawick to extend the Hoos’ lead to 3-0. Two batters later, Teel ripped a 2-RBI single to right to deliver an early 5-0 lead for the Cavaliers. It marked his 39th career RBI with the bases loaded.
Following three scoreless innings, the Blue Devils got on the board in the top of the sixth on a two-run home run by Jay Beshears that narrowly cleared the glove of UVA left fielder Colin Tuft. Duke singled once more in the inning, but Edgington’s 10th strikeout of the day slammed the door on the Blue Devils’ chance to further chip away at the UVA lead.
UVA got its two runs back and then some with a four-run inning in the bottom half of the sixth. The Cavaliers had runners on first and second with no outs when Jake Gelof singled to right center field to score O’Ferrall, who was on second.
After O’Donnell scored an RBI groundout by Teel, Anderson blasted his 14th home run of the year – a two-run shot to left field – to produce a 9-2 lead by the end of the sixth.
After Edgington and the Cavaliers got out of a jam in the top of the seventh, O’Donnell doubled down the left field line to drive in Tuft, who singled to lead off the bottom half of the frame. Two batters later Teel went first-pitch swinging and connected on an RBI single to left center, which brought home O’Donnell as UVA led 11-2 at the end of seventh.
In the eighth, Stephan went first-pitching swinging to nab his third postseason home run and fifth of the season. Stephan’s homer put the Hoos up 12-2.
Edgington retired the side in order in the top of the ninth. He recorded his 11th and final strikeout for out No. 2 to bring the Disharoon Park crowd to its feet. A high fly ball hit to left was snagged by Tuft and a dog pile on the mound with Edgington at the bottom ensued.
With the win, the Cavaliers improved to 50-13 on the year, which marks the program’s fifth 50-win season and first since 2014. In addition to 2014, UVA tallied 50 wins or more in 2013, 2011 and 2010.
The Cavaliers outscored Duke 26-6 in the last two games of the Charlottesville Super Regional. The 30 total runs in the series are the most ever scored by UVA in a Super Regional.
Virginia’s five-run second inning marked the 24th time this season UVA has scored five or more runs in a single inning. It was also the most by either team in the Super Regional series between Duke and the Cavaliers.
With a double down the left field line, leadoff hitter O’Ferrall tallied his fifth, first-inning hit in six 2023 NCAA Tournament games. He finished the day, 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. He became the tenth Cavalier ever to record a four-hit game in the NCAA Tournament.
O’Ferrall has team-best five, four-hit games in 2023. O’Donnell has reached base safely in 21-straight games, the longest active streak on the team. Virginia will be in bracket No. 2, which consists of Florida (50-15), TCU (42-22) and the winner of the Oregon (41-21)–Oral Roberts (50-12) Super Regionals series. Game times, dates and television designations are expected to be announced on Monday night (June 12).
