CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. — Columbia Baseball (0-2, 0-0) lost both games of Friday’s season-opening doubles game to No. 19 Virginia (6-0, 0-0) of Davenport Field at Disharoon Park.
Virginia won the first game 4-1 before claiming an 11-3 victory in the second game. Friday’s games were the first meetings between the two sides since 1926.
Summary of Game 1:
The Lions stringed together two hits early on. Columbia’s first hit of the season was a double to left center field courtesy of Hayden Schott in the second inning. Anton Lazit followed with a tough single that moved Schott to third, but the Lions couldn’t capitalize on Cavaliers starter Nick Parker’s inning.
Kyle Teel’s home run in the bottom of the second inning from the Lions’ starter AndyLeon opened the scoring in game one. A half-inning later, Columbia tied it with its first run of the season on a Weston Eberley RBI single. Andy Blake hit to make it a 1-1 ball game.
🎥 Eberly’s RBI single
📊https://t.co/DuWraIN2Rp
📺https://t.co/kDEdTaXDFC#roarlionroar pic.twitter.com/PrBwlkkAwT— Columbia Baseball (@CULionsBaseball) February 24, 2023
Virginia took the lead in the bottom third of the third when leadoff batter Griff O’Ferrall laced a sacrificial fly to left field to bring Harrison Didawick home.
The Cavaliers would extend their lead in the seventh inning in front of the left-handed relief pitcher Will Parkinson’s. Virginia covered two runs with one miss and then a sacrificial fly to take a 4-1 lead. Jake Berry ended the game with three scoreless innings to make his first save of the season.
Leon threw four innings and scattered three hits, giving up two runs (one earned) while striking out four. He threw 61 pitches (41 strikes) in the outing and threw a 1-2-3 frame in the first. Leon was succeeded by Parkinson, who pitched three innings with two runs. Camron Hubble played a scoreless eighth inning for the Lions.
Schott was the only Lion with multiple hits in the first game, going 2-on-4 with a double. blakes, Seth Dardar, Eberly and Lazits all recorded hits for Columbia. The Lions beat the Cavaliers 6-5 in the first game.
Summary of Game 2:
Cole Hage opened the ballgame with a solo home run on Virginia starter Brian Edginton’s fourth throw of the night to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.
Top 1 | THIS BALL IS GONE! Cole Hage starts the game with a home run! What a way to start things 🔥🔥🔥#roarlionroar pic.twitter.com/nxTbiKzHWh
— Columbia Baseball (@CULionsBaseball) February 24, 2023
The Cavaliers charged back by scoring three runs in both the second and third innings. Henry Godbout brought the home side on with a triple home run from the Lions starter JD Ogden below in the second. Then in the third, Teel added to his strong day on the plate with an RBI double. Ethan Anderson drove in two more with a base hit to give Virginia a 6-1 lead.
Ogden previously only lasted 2.1 innings Justin Tucker came relieved. Ogden gave up six earned runs and knocked out two.
The Lions scored their second run of the game with an infield pop that fell in front of Lazits on the first try. Blake rushed all the way from first base to goal. Godbout was charged with the second base error and Virginia’s lead was cut to 6-2. Angelo Tonas was able to work his way out of trouble and scored three to pull the team back in the sixth inning.
For Virginia, Edginton was able to settle in after the starting home run and hit a nine over five innings of work.
The Cavaliers continued to extend their lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Virginia rattled off four direct hits against Derek Yo. Godbout, O’Ferrall and Ethan O’Donnell doubled in back-to-back at-bats to help on two more runs. Jafar Vohra was then called out of the bullpen for his Columbia debut and greeted with a Jake Gelof RBI single. A sacrificial fly by Casey Saucke made it 10-2 for Virginia after six innings.
Columbia loaded the bases with no one in the seventh. After Hage went down swinging, Blake smashed a sacrificial fly onto the plate Skye Selinsky to make it a 10-3 game. Virginia reliever Jake Hodorovich could be stranded jack kail And Miles Blackwell to finish the inning.
Thomas Santana made his collegiate debut for the Lions in game two, hitting a scoreless eighth inning.
The series finale between Columbia and Virginia is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. from Davenport Field in Disharoon Park. Joe Sheets He is expected to get the start for Columbia and Jack O’Connor will deliver the gum for Virginia. The game will air on ACCNX, where you can watch it on ESPN.com or the ESPN app as long as ACC Network is part of your cable subscription.
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