ROUND ROCK, Texas - In the first game of day two at the Karbach Round Rock Classic, the University of Virginia defeated the University of Minnesota 4-2. After falling to Oregon State University the night before, Virginia moved back above .500 with the win.
Minnesota head coach Ty McDevitt expressed confidence in his team’s ability to compete with top programs like Virginia but emphasized the need to turn potential into wins. “I’m encouraged by what we have with our ball club, but we’ve got to figure out how to win. I understand that takes time. I’m not patient, and I’ve told the guys that I'm not going to change my expectations that we play clean baseball and minimize mistakes. We have a good enough team to beat both these teams we’ve played this weekend. We do,” McDevitt said.
The game began as a pitcher’s duel, with both teams struggling offensively early. Minnesota’s sophomore Kyle Remington was nearly flawless through three innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two. However, he ran into trouble in the sixth, ultimately pitching 6.1 innings and giving up four runs on seven hits with five strikeouts.
Virginia’s sophomore Bryson Moore kept the Cavaliers in the game, striking out six over five innings while allowing two walks and one earned run.
Minnesota struck first in the fourth inning. With two outs, juniors Jake Elbeery and Easton Richter hit back-to-back singles, and sophomore Jack Spanier drove them in with a dribbler up the middle, just out of reach of Virginia’s Eric Becker, for a 2-0 lead.
Virginia responded in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore Henry Ford doubled down the left field line and scored on a single by junior Aiden Teel, cutting the deficit to 2-1. The Cavaliers threatened again in the fifth when junior Trey Wells Kyle doubled, but Remington retired the next three batters to preserve Minnesota’s lead.
Virginia’s bullpen shined late. Graduate student Matt Lanzendorfer struck out five of seven batters in two scoreless innings, and junior Ryan Osinski earned his first save of the season, allowing three hits and striking out one over the final 1.1 innings.
The Cavaliers took the lead in the sixth. With two outs, Teel launched a no-doubt two-run homer to make it 3-2. Teel credited Ford for setting the stage saying “The approach is what we do all the time. Jumping on the fastball and getting myself a good early count. But the ball started rolling with Henry Ford getting on and adding pressure on the bases. Ultimately gets in the pitcher's head a bit, and we capitalize off mistakes.”
Virginia added an insurance run in the seventh, securing the 4-2 victory. The Cavaliers will close the Karbach Round Rock Classic against the University of Oklahoma tomorrow at 4 p.m., while Minnesota looks to snap its losing streak against Oregon State University tomorrow at noon.
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