CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia – On the strength of a six-run seventh inning, No. 8 Virginia clinched the series against Florida State with a 12-4 win Saturday afternoon. Left fielder James Tibbs III hit his team-high eighth home run of the season in the loss, and Jaime Ferrer extended his hitting streak to 14 games.
For the second straight game, FSU scored a run in the first inning, this time on a two-out RBI single from Treyton Rank. Tibbs scored after a double and moved to third on Ferrer’s infield single.
The Cavaliers tied it in the bottom of the inning against Ryan Denison when Ethan Anderson singled to score Jake Gelof with two outs.
Carson Montgomery (0-2) made his first relief appearance of the season, entering in the second with runners on second and third with one out. With two outs, the Cavaliers tried to score on a ball that got away from Colton Vincent, but Vincent tossed to Montgomery at the plate, who applied the tag before Anthony Stephan could touch the plate.
The Cavaliers will need to sustain their high level of play as they fight with fellow undefeated Wake Forest and NC State for first place in the conference.