CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Columbia baseball (0-3, 0-0) surrendered nine runs in the eighth inning and fell 9-1 to No. 19 Virginia (7-0, 0-0) from Davenport Field at Disharoon Park on Sunday.
After seven and a half scoreless innings of baseball in the series finale, the Virginia offense scratched across the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth without the ball leaving the infield. Harrison Didawick walked against
James Vaughn to bring in the afternoon's first run after the Cavaliers had loaded the bases on an error, infield single, and hit-by-pitch.
The Cavaliers would score nine unearned runs in the home eighth off Vaughn and
Dane Miller. Three of those runs came on a throwing error and wild pitch. Ethan Anderson blew the game open with a three-run home run to right field to cap off the inning.
Hayden Schott hit Columbia's second home run of the season in the ninth but that would be the only run to cross for the Lions. Schott went 5-for-12 in the season-opening series with two extra-base hits. Besides Schott's home run, Columbia's offense produced just four hits on Sunday as
Andy Blake,
Weston Eberly,
Anton Lazits, and
Skye Selinsky all singled.
Lions starting pitcher
Joe Sheets kept the Cavaliers off the board in his four innings of work, stranding five Virginia base runners. Sheets got Anderson to ground into a 4-6-3 double play when the Cavaliers got the leadoff man on in the second. After hitting the next two batters, Sheets got another groundout to end the inning.
Sheets allowed four hits and struck out two over the first four innings before being relieved by
Griffin Palfrey. In Sheets' final inning, Eberly picked off Henry Godbout, who was caught being too far off first base.
Blake got the first hit of the day for the Lions to lead off the fourth but was thrown out at second base trying to stretch it into a double. Eberly also singled two batters later but Lions weren't able to score. Virginia starter Jack O'Connor threw six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three.
The Cavaliers threatened in the seventh against Palfrey. Griff O'Ferrall reached on an error and then stole second. Ethan O'Donnell walked and Palfrey was able to get the next two batters to fly out to Selinsky to escape the jam. Palfrey tossed three innings in his season debut, allowing no hits, walking four, and striking out three.
Columbia answered by loading the bases in the top of the eighth. After Lazits singled,
Cole Fellows moved him over with a sacrifice bunt.
Jack Kail walked to bring up the top of the Lions order. Virginia called to the bullpen for Jay Woolfolk who got a strikeout and flyout to keep the game scoreless.
Columbia travels to North Carolina next weekend for a four-game series with UNC Wilmington at Brooks Field. First pitch on Friday is set for 4 p.m. followed by a doubleheader on Saturday at noon and then the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.
For the latest on Columbia baseball, follow
@CULionsBaseball on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at
GoColumbiaLions.com.
