Virginia Defeats ECU To Claim Charlottesville Regional Title

Sunday, June 4

Charlottesville, Va.

6:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

47-19

Virginia

48-12

Virginia

East Carolina

Virginia Defeats ECU To Claim Charlottesville Regional Title

June 04, 2023 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A pair of late-inning home runs proved the difference Sunday night at Davenport Field as No. 7 national seed and host Virginia downed East Carolina 8-3 to capture the Charlottesville Regional title and secure a spot in the super regional round.

The Pirates (47-19) closed out yet another highly successful campaign that featured 47 wins, their fourth-straight American Athletic Conference regular season title, an appearance in the AAC Tournament title game, a fifth-straight NCAA regional berth and fourth consecutive spot in a regional final.

Connelly Early (11-2) picked up the win, allowing two runs on seven hits with 10 strikeouts over 6.1 innings of work. Landon Ginn (6-1) was tagged with the loss after yielding three runs on two hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 2.1 frames.

Jacob Starling and Justin Wilcoxen rapped out two hits apiece while Wilcoxen also drove in a pair of runs. Kyle Teel stole the show offensively for the Cavaliers, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI.

Virginia started things off with a leadoff single by Griff O'Ferrall, but Zach Root made a nice play, snagging a bunt attempt from Ethan O'Donnell in the air and firing to first to complete the double play. Root looked to have completed the half inning with a strikeout, but the ball bounced to the backstop allowing Jake Gelof to reach first safely. Another wild pitch moved him into scoring position before Teel doubled to right field to score Gelof and give the Cavaliers a 1-0 edge.

Starling put East Carolina in business right away in the home half, belting a leadoff double over the head of O'Donnell in center. Carter Cunningham then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Starling to third before Josh Moylan sent a 1-0 pitch deep to right center for a game-tying sacrifice fly.

UVA mounted a two-out charge in the top of the third, loading the bases with a pair of walks and a Teel single, but Root left the bases juiced after Anderson flew out weekly to right field.

ECU got the bats going in the bottom of the fourth as Moylan and Jacob Jenkins-Cowart singled to give the Pirates a pair of one-out runners. Wilcoxen followed with a sharp single to center that scored Moylan for a 2-1 advantage.

The powerful Cavalier offense finally broke through in the late innings, utilizing a three-run home run in both the seventh and eighth frames to surge ahead.

East Carolina mounted one final charge, loading the bases in the bottom of the eighth with Virginia ahead 7-2. Cam Clonch led things off with a double to center before Wilcoxen shot an RBI single to left field to make it a four-run contest. Joey Berini kept the line moving with a walk and Hoover singled through the left side to load up the bases with two away. Starling then got hold of a 1-0 offering and crushed it to center field, but it was just a few feet short of a game-tying grand slam as the ball was caught on the warning track.

Teel would cap the scoring in the top of the ninth with a solo home run before Jake Berry retired the Pirates in order in the home half to end the game.