CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – For the third consecutive game, No. 20 Stanford (16-9, 5-7 ACC) found itself with a lead only to have Virginia (15-11, 6-6 ACC) come back to defeat the Cardinal, this time walking off with a 9-8 victory in 10 innings on Saturday to secure a series sweep.
The Cardinal led 7-5 after seven innings and had its closer Aidan Keenan in the game, but Virginia managed to plate a run in the eighth and answered a run in the top of the ninth from Stanford with two in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extras.
Keenan ultimately went three innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out two and tossing a season-high 70 pitches.
Were it not for a spectacular diving catch by freshman Tatum Marsh with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Virginia would have won the game in regulation. The freshman laid out and snagged a would-be game-winning double off the bat of Jacob Ference in left-center field.
Outside of the play from Marsh, nothing went right for the Cardinal in the ninth as Luke Hanson led off with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a chopper to first base that took a high hop over Rintaro Sasaki and into right field. With the outfield shifted toward the pull side for Henry Ford, Ford lofted a high fly ball down the line in right that fell just fair and out of the reach of any Stanford player. Keenan got the strikeout of the next man, but Henry Godbout clutched up with a two-out single into left field to tie the game in front of Marsh’s diving catch.
After a scoreless top of the 10th, Trevor Moore took over the for the Cardinal in the bottom of the inning, allowing a leadoff single to James Nunnallee. Moore, who took the loss and fell to 1-2, got the next two hitters without incident, but Aidan Teel shot a double down the line in right field and Nunnallee scored all the way from first on a close play at the plate. The call was reviewed, but the play stood as Virginia celebrated in left field.
Stanford, which has lost six straight in ACC play, fought the entire way on Saturday – posting eight runs on 15 hits, but stranded 10 runners. Junior Jimmy Nati went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and his second homer in as many games. Reynolds also collected three hits – finishing 3-for-5 with a run scored and one driven in. Trevor Haskins, Ethan Hott and Marsh all posted two-hit games.
Sophomore Joey Volchko grinded his way through six frames in a start for Stanford, allowing five runs on nine hits with no walks while striking out five. The bulk of the damage against the right-hander came in a four-run third inning as Virginia strung together six hits to erase what was a 4-0 lead for Stanford to that point.
After Virginia scored a run in the sixth inning to take a 5-4 lead into the seventh, Stanford punched right back with three in the seventh to reclaim a lead at 7-5. The Cardinal drew a bases loaded walk and a hit-by-pitch with nobody out, but ultimately settled for just three runs after hitting into a double play that deflated the momentum.
The Cardinal will return home next week, hosting Santa Clara at 6:05 p.m. on Tuesday before welcoming Georgia Tech to Sunken Diamond for three games in ACC play starting Friday.