Cavaliers Win Game Two 14-4, Forcing Winner Take All on Sunday

The offense started early and never let up allowing the Virginia Cavaliers to breeze to a 14-4 victory over the Duke Blue Devils. The win sets up a winner take all game 3 on Sunday with a trip to the College World Series on the line.

Griff O’Ferrall got the game started for the Hoos as he lead the game off with his first home run of the season. That would be all UVA would get in the first inning, but they would manufacture two more runs in the 2nd and another run in the 4th to give UVA a 4-0 lead before Duke would get on the board.

Connelly Early took the mound for the Cavaliers to begin the game and kept Duke down much of the game giving UVA 7 strong innings and limiting the Blue Devils to 3 runs (all unearned) on 9 hits and 1 HBP while striking out 8. The only real inning Duke was able to get to Early was the 4th. After an error allowing a runner, Early got two quick outs before Duke would do their only damage of the game with three straight 2 out, 2 strike hits giving Duke three runs to cut into the UVA lead.

The momentum Duke was able to steal in the 4th didn’t last long as the 5th inning saw Ethan Anderson launch a three run home run over the bullpen in left followed up by a Anthony Stephan solo home run giving UVA an insurmountable 8-3 lead.

After the 5th it became the Jake Gelof show. The 6th inning saw Gelof double off the left center wall with 1 out scoring Ethan O’Donnell and Griff O’Ferrall. Those two RBI tied Gelof with former Cavalier 3b Stephen Proscia for the program’s career RBI record. He wouldn’t be tied for long though as he hit a 442 foot blast over the left field bleachers in the in the 8th scoring O’Donnell again to give UVA a 12-3 lead.

Casey Saucker would give the Hoos a little more insurance after Gelof thanks to a double scoring Ethan Anderson and Kyle Teel.

Early would leave the game after the 7th inning and the game well in hand. Jack O’Connor would come in in relief throwing strikes. Duke would score a run in the 8th, but O’Connor held the Blue Devils to just 3 hits and that solo run while striking out 2 over the final two frames.

The Cavaliers are looking for their sixth trip to Omaha and it will come down to game 3 tomorrow. UVA is 4-1 in game 3s of Super Regional with the lone loss coming at the hands of Oklahoma in 2010. Though it hasn’t been announced, have to imagine Brian Edgington will get the ball, but will have a short leash.

Game time for Sunday is set for noon again, likely on ESPN2, but that has yet to be announced.