Virginia’s season came to an end Sunday afternoon as Jacksonville State held off a furious late rally to defeat the Cavaliers 7-6 in an elimination game at the Hattiesburg Regional.
The loss marked Virginia’s second defeat of the regional and eliminated the Cavaliers from the NCAA Tournament with a 37-23 record.
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Jacksonville State (48-14) built an early seven-run cushion, highlighted by Sam Richardson’s second-inning grand slam, before Virginia nearly completed a dramatic comeback with a six-run eighth inning.
Joe Tiroly led the Cavaliers offensively, finishing 2-for-5, while Jake Weatherspoon and Eric Becker each drove in multiple runs during Virginia’s late surge.
After a scoreless first inning and a half, Jacksonville State broke through in the second. A pair of walks and a single loaded the bases before Richardson, facing a two-strike count, launched a grand slam over the wall in right field to give the Gamecocks a 4-0 lead.
Virginia’s pitching staff settled in after the early damage. Thomas Stewart provided a strong relief effort, tossing a season-best three scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and keeping the Cavaliers within striking distance.
Christian Lucarelli followed with a scoreless sixth inning, working around two baserunners to maintain the deficit.
The Gamecocks added three insurance runs in the seventh inning, including a two-out, two-run double that dropped just beyond the diving reach of Zach Jackson in left field, extending the lead to 7-0.
Virginia finally broke through in the eighth inning and nearly completed an improbable comeback.
After loading the bases with no outs, Weatherspoon lined a three-run double to center field to put the Cavaliers on the board. RJ Holmes followed with a sacrifice fly before Becker delivered a two-run double, trimming the deficit to 7-6 and bringing Virginia within a run.
Lucas Hartman kept the Cavaliers close by striking out two of the three batters he faced in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Virginia’s comeback bid, however, fell short in the ninth. Jacksonville State reliever Josh Sibley retired all three batters he faced to secure the victory and send the Gamecocks on while ending the Cavaliers’ season.
Despite the loss, Virginia battled back from a seven-run deficit and brought the tying run to the plate in the closing stages before Jacksonville State closed out the one-run victory.