UVA Baseball Rides Comeback Kids to Super Regional Rubber Game
Virginia rode Griff McGarry and Alex Tappen to a 4-0 win on Sunday over Dallas Baptist, forcing a rubber match on Monday for a spot in the College World Series. McGarry struck out 10 across seven innings of two-hit ball, while Tappen hit a three-run bomb and finished 2-for-3 at the plate.
Both seniors were knocked down from high-profile spots this season, so seeing their success is extra gratifying. McGarry was Virginia’s No. 2 starter until multiple tough outings sent him to the drawing board. Alex Tappen opened the year as the Hoos’ clean-up hitter before inconsistency landed him in a reserve role at the end of the regular season.
Their redemption story isn’t all from Sunday’s game, either. McGarry started Virginia’s regional final win over Old Dominion last weekend, and Tappen has been straight-up raking all postseason. He’s hit five home runs since the conference tournament began and raised his batting average to .250.
After the win on Sunday, head coach Brian O’Connor heaped praise on both seniors.
On Tappen:
“He could have packed it up and said, ‘Listen, it’s not worth it,’ but he kept working, kept believing in himself. A window was created, and he jumped on it and seized the moment and rose up for his team, and he’s playing some of his best baseball he’s played in our uniform … I’m just proud of him and proud that he hung in there and kept fighting for his team.”
On McGarry:
“He was our No. 2 starter for the first half of the year and things got away from him a little bit, and he hardly pitched for us for a month. And he kept working and working and made some adjustments. His spirit never changed. He was excited for his teammates that got the opportunity in front of him, and that’s really hard to do. It’s a really unselfish thing to do when you’re an elite-level prospect like he is.”
“It’s amazing what he’s done. I can tell you I haven’t seen it in my 18 years in this uniform, a kid do what he did this year, and hopefully he gets another opportunity [at the College World Series].”
(via Jeff White // Virginia Sports)
Sunday’s game was tied 0-0 until the bottom of the eighth inning when Tappen and Zack Gelof went bombs away. Gelof hit a solo homer to put UVA up 1-0, followed by Tapp’s three-run jack a few batters later. Tapp and Kyle Teel (2-for-4) were the only Wahoos with multiple hits in the game.
First pitch for Monday’s win-or-go-home rubber game is set for 1 p.m. on ESPNU.
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