CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Opening a three-game series in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Thursday, No. 20 Stanford (16-7, 5-5 ACC) dropped an 11-8 decision to Virginia (13-11, 4-6 ACC) from Disharoon Park.
Stanford managed to climb out of an early 2-0 hole with three runs in the second inning, but the middle innings proved to be the difference as Virginia turned a 3-2 fourth-inning deficit into a 10-3 advantage after scoring one in the fourth, two in the fifth and five in the sixth.
The five-run fifth inning saw the Cavaliers combine to hit for the cycle, with Aidan Teel lacing an RBI-double, Eric Becker contributing an RBI-triple and Chris Arroyo capping the scoring run with a two-run homer into the Virginia bullpen.
Virginia got to Stanford starter Matt Scott early on Thursday night, plating a pair of runs on three hits in the first inning. Scott would ultimately last 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits with three strikeouts before not factoring into the decision.
Pitching opposite Scott, Virginia starter Jay Woolfolk tossed six innings and exited the game in the seventh following a leadoff double from Brady Reynolds. The left-hander, who struck out five and allowed five hits, had only one difficult inning in the start, surrendering three runs on three hits in the Cardinal second inning, but Reynolds did come around to score in a two-run seventh for Stanford to tag him for his fourth run (two earned).
With the victory, Woolfolk improved to 2-2 on the season.
Stanford’s bullpen, which has been outstanding so far in 2025, stumbled on Thursday night as five relievers combined and allowed eight runs on seven hits and five walks over 4 1/3 innings. Right-hander Trevor Moore was ultimately saddled with the loss and dropped to 1-1 after allowing the go-ahead run in the fifth inning.
The Cardinal managed to make things interesting down the stretch, stringing together a two-out rally in the three-run eighth that featured an RBI-single from Temo Becerra and run-scoring doubles from Ethan Hott and Tatum Marsh to cut the deficit to three at 11-8.
Stanford will look to even the three-game series with Virginia on Friday when the two teams continue the set at 3 p.m. PT. Left-hander Christian Lim will take the hill for the Cardinal and he’ll be opposed by lefty Tomas Valincius for the Cavaliers.
GAME NOTES:
- The loss was Stanford’s fourth in the last five games
- Virginia’s victory snapped a five-game losing streak for the Cavaliers
- Thursday’s game was the first between the two teams in program history
- Stanford’s final five hitters in the starting lineup (Nati, Reynolds, Becerra, Hott, Marsh) combined to bat 11-for-17 and accounted for 11 of the 12 Cardinal hits, but the first four (Haskins, Larson, Sasaki, Saum) went 1-for-18
- Temo Becerra (2-for-4, R, 2 RBIs) has hit safely in 19 of the 23 games this season … has compiled eight multi-hit games and six multi-RBI contests
- Trevor Haskins (1-for-5, RBI) has hit safely in all but three games this season
- Ethan Hott (2-for-3, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBIs) has a hit in six of his last seven games played
- Tatum Marsh (3-for-3, 2B, 2 RBIs) has reached in 19 straight games … third three-hit game of the season and fifth multi-hit game overall
- Jimmy Nati (2-for-3, 2 R, 2B) has hit safely in nine straight games
- Brady Reynolds (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B) recorded his ninth multi-hit game of the season