?HOOS WALK-OFF?
One swing of the bat sends @UVABaseball to the Supers!#RoadToOmaha x ? @espn pic.twitter.com/ffrc2Sk91B
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 8, 2021
Tuesday morning, the Virginia Cavaliers (33-24) once again seemed to do the impossible by beating Old Dominion University (44-16) for the second consecutive time by a final score of 4-3.
Despite the game being originally scheduled for Monday at 7:00, first pitch in the Columbia Regional Championship was thrown Tuesday morning at 9:00. And, like many of the viewers at home and in the stands in Columbia, the two teams felt the early start time as the game remained scoreless through five complete innings.
It was the Monarchs who woke up first, manufacturing a run in the top of the sixth to put them up one to nothing. However, the Hoos struck back swiftly, putting up two runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh inning to answer.
It wasn’t enough to break Old Dominion, though, as they managed to respond with two RBI singles to regain the lead 3-2.
Then, in the bottom of the eighth, the miracles began.
After putting runners on first and second, a wild pitch allowed both to steal a base, moving UVA into a strong position to score. Then, thanks to a second wild pitch, UVA was able to tie the game at three runs apiece. However, Virginia left the remaining runners stranded on base, preventing the Cavaliers from taking the lead
After a strong defensive performance in the top of the tenth, the Cavaliers were up to bat. And after Kyle Teel’s ground out to second base, it was the starting pitcher Devin Ortiz who stepped up to the plate.
Then, in Columbia, South Carolina, with a torn labrum, and after throwing four shutout innings in his first relief outing of the season, the Ortiz sent a walk-off home run beyond the wall and was swarmed by his teammates in celebration
The Virginia Cavaliers will now return to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2015. Virginia will face Dallas Baptist University in a best-of-three series beginning this Saturday.
