ROANOKE, Va. – Connelly Early found command early on Sunday as No. 7 Virginia defeated East Carolina 8-3, advancing to the NCAA Baseball Super Regionals.
Kyle Teel gave the Cavaliers and early 1-0 lead with an RBI ground-rule double in the opening inning. It didn’t take long before the Pirates responded in the bottom half with a sacrifice fly out to score the tying run.
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ECU took the lead in the fourth inning thanks to a Justin Wilcoxen RBI single. The Pirates held the 2-1 advantage until the 7th inning. That’s when Ethan O’Donnell hit a three-run home run to put the Cavaliers back on top.
Virginia added some late insurance runs as well. Anthony Stephan hit a deep ball to center field that went off the wall and resulted in an inside the park three-run home run. Kyle Teel finished things off in the 9th inning when he hit a solo home run--proving to be his 101st hit of the season, a new school record.
On the mound, Early pitched 6.1 innings allowing just two runs on 7 hits while racking up 10 strikeouts.
No. 7 Virginia will be a Super Regional host for the first time since 2015 and will welcome in the winner of the Conway Regional between Duke and Coastal Carolina.