Virginia baseball sweeps Cornell, has historic weekend

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (VirginiaSports.com) – Virginia (7-0) completed the three-game sweep of Cornell (0-3) on Sunday (Feb. 27) with a 19-1 victory at Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers scored 60 runs in the three-game set, a program record for runs in a three-game series and tied a school mark for the most runs in any three-game span (60 in 1891).

Sophomore Jake Gelof capped off a monster weekend with the first cycle by a Virginia hitter since Hunter Wyant against High Point on March 12, 2001. Gelof needed just four at bats in five innings played to complete the cycle. He homered in the first inning, doubled in the second, tripled in the fourth and singled in the fifth.

In the three-game series against Cornell, Gelof went 7-for-8 with seven runs scored, two doubles, a triple, three home runs and 13 RBI. He currently leads the team with a .611 batting average (11-for-18) and has homered five times. Gelof is slugging 1.722 through the first seven games of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Virginia scored in all but two of its eight trips to the plate and posted five runs in the fifth innings. It marked the sixth time this season Virginia has posted five or more runs in an inning.
• Cavalier starting pitcher Brandon Neeck pitched five innings of one-run baseball and struck out eight batters. Neeck struck out the first three batters he faced on 11 pitches. He earned his second career win and has allowed one run in 9.1 innings pitched this season.
• Sophomore Kyle Teel broke the game open in the third inning with his second career grand slam. His first homer of the season hit the overhang in right field and bounced out of the stadium. Teel finished with a career-high, five RBI in a 2-for-4 effort at the plate.

• The five-run fifth was highlighted by back-to-back home runs by Alex Tappenand Casey Saucke. Tappen left the ballpark for first time this season and put Virginia up 17-1 with a three-run shot to left. Saucke followed up with an opposite field blast off the scoreboard in right field.
• Virginia relievers Alex Greene, Dylan Bowers and Will Geerdes combined for four shutout innings of relief. Bowers and Geerdes combined to strike out the final six batters of the game.
• Cavalier pitchers combined to strikeout 17 batters in Sunday’s series finale and have recorded double digit strikeouts in six-straight games.

UP NEXT

• Virginia will continue its homestand on Tuesday when it hosts William & Mary in a non-conference tilt. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Disharoon Park.

FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN O’CONNOR

“It was a great offensive weekend of baseball. I thought our guys were locked in, in every facet. Many different guys throughout our lineup had great weekends, obviously starting with Jake Gelof. It’s hard to beat that kind of weekend. He was locked in all weekend ever since putting him in the four-hole on Friday. Casey Saucke and Collin Tuft each had nice days today and I thought we pitched really well today. There’s something to be said about taking advantage of opportunities and taking care of business and we certainly did the whole weekend.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Virginia has now won seven-straight home games dating back to last season and has swept consecutive weekend series at Disharoon Park.
• UVA improved to 30-11-1 against Cornell and has won 15-straight games against the Big Red.
• Virginia is 7-0 to start the season for the fifth time under O’Connor (2008, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2021).
• Teel extended his reached base streak to 33-straight games dating back to last season.
• Saucke and Max Cotier each extended their hitting streaks to a team-best, six games.