Cardiac Cavaliers Sweep Wake Forest; Projected to Make NCAA Tournament

| Posted on |

The Virginia baseball team knew the deal heading into their final two series of the season, and so far they’ve proved they’re up to the challenge. Needing to improve their resume and get their ACC record up to par, the Wahoos swept Wake Forest in three games.

Each game had its own form of magic. Game 1 saw Andrew Abbott, Jake Berry, and Griff McGarry twirl a combined no-hitter, and the offense put up 17 runs. In Games 2 and 3, the Cardiac Cavaliers emerged; both games ended in walk-off wins for Virginia. After their 5-4 win in Game 3, which came via Christian Hlinka‘s walk-off RBI double, the Wahoos clinched their spot in the ACC Baseball Tournament.

Andrew Abbott picked up the win on the mound in Game 1, throwing 7.1 innings of hitless ball with 15 strikeouts. Blake Bales and Stephen Schoch picked up wins out of the pen in Games 2 and 3, respectively. Freshman Jake Gelof had a big weekend at the plate, reaching base nine times and scoring the winning run in Game 3.

Zack Gelof hit his sixth homer of the season over the weekend, while Chris Newell and Alex Tappen both hit their first of the year.

Box Scores: Game One, Two, Three

Highlights:  Game One, Two, Three

Virginia improved to 25-21 overall and 16-17 in ACC play. The Hoos started conference play with just two wins in their first 11 games. Over the course of their last six ACC series, they’ve gone 12-6. According to Baseball America’s most recent NCAA Tournament projection, Virginia is one of the “last four in” the field of 64. These projections were before the weekend, however, so the sweep of Wake Forest should move them up the ranks.