Virginia baseball team wins on walk-off hit in extra innings

It was February, not June; the fourth game of the regular season, not Game 3 of an NCAA Super Regional with a trip to Omaha at stake.

But the outcome was still the same.

In eerily similar fashion to last year’s 3-2 win over UC-Irvine that propelled the Virginia baseball team to the College World Series, UVa opened up its home slate Wednesday with a walk-off 6-5 win over William & Mary at Davenport Field in front of a crowd of 2,598.

The Hoos found themselves trailing 5-4 after the Tribe put across one run in the top of the 11th inning. Then came the Cavalier heroics. Freshman right fielder Mike Papi came through with the game-winning two-RBI single that scored Mitchell Shifflett and Chris Taylor.

“In a lot of ways that game has some similarities to the last game we played in this ballpark,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said. “It was a hard-fought game. I’m proud of our guys.”

The Tribe got on the scoreboard first with two runs in the second inning, which included an RBI single from right fielder Josh Smith as William & Mary (2-2) pounded Virginia pitcher Joel Effertz, who was making his first start as a Cavalier. Effertz, a JUCO transfer from Madison Area Technical College, lasted just 2.2 innings, giving up six hits and two earned runs while walking three and striking out four batters.

Virginia (2-1-1) retired the side in order in the fifth inning for the first time in the game as sophomore pitcher Artie Lewicki worked 3.1 innings, giving up two hits and an earned run. Lewicki also struck out two batters and walked just one.

UVa didn’t scratch the hit column until the third inning when Taylor singled with one out and had a hard time getting anything going against William & Mary starting pitcher Matt Davenport.

“Their starter was outstanding tonight,” O’Connor said. “We kept waiting for them to take him out of the ballgame. He had really good location and we couldn’t do much against him. He pitched outstanding and credit to our guys for hanging in there.”

Davenport threw 107 pitches over 6.2 innings, giving up just two hits and no runs as Virginia had no answer for the 6-foot-8 sidearm hurler.

Virginia trailed 4-0 entering the eighth inning but found the situation it wanted as senior Jared King came to the plate with the bases loaded. King came through with a three-RBI double that got the Cavaliers back in the game.

“I think I’m in a pretty good place right now, I’m seeing the ball really well,” King said. “I’m trying not to do too much. For me personally I’m just trying to be a steady cog and be consistent.”

Two batters later, catcher Nate Irving tied the game with a single that scored King and eventually sent the game to extra innings.

King went 3-for-5 for the game and drove in three runs for Virginia. Papi’s game-winning single was his only hit of the game while Taylor and Reed Gragnani combined for four hits for the Cavaliers.

Virginia will be back in action this weekend as it welcomes in Monmouth for a three-game series.