The Shadow
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In the penultimate home game of the regular season, the No. 23 Virginia baseball team (33-18, 13-14 ACC) fell 8-7 to the Cal Golden Bears (27-24, 10-17) at Disharoon Park on Sunday afternoon (May 10).
Despite the loss, UVA’s Joe Tiroly hit three home runs in Sunday’s rubber match. Tiroly is just the seventh Cavalier in program history to hit three dingers in the same game and the second to accomplish the feat this season.
Virginia jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the opening three innings before Cal stormed to take control of the game with a grand slam in the seventh. Kyle Johnson was dealt a no-decision as UVA’s starter on Sunday after surrendering four runs on four hits in six innings pitched. Lucas Hartman was tagged with the loss after giving up the Cal grand slam in the seventh. Before the game started, Virginia hosted a Senior Day ceremony to celebrate the careers of Noah Jouras, Kevin Jaxel, Joe Colucci, Lucas Hartman, Harrison Didawick and Dean Kampschror.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After Johnson struck out a pair of Bears in the opening frame, UVA’s offense came alive in the bottom of the first with the first of Tiroly’s home runs and a two-run blast off the bat of Sam Harris. The Harris dinger put Virginia 3-0 and was his team-leading 14th of the season.
- Virginia stretched its lead to 4-0 in the third when AJ Gracia hit his 13th home run of the campaign off the batter’seye beyond the wall in center field.
- The Bears clawed back to within a run in the top of the fifth with a sacrifice fly and a two-out two-run home run from Gannon Snyder.
- Tiroly answered in the home half of the fifth with his second homer of the day, which made it a 5-3 ballgame.
- The Sunday slugfest continued in the sixth as Daniel Murillo’s solo home run brought Cal back within a run at 5-4.
- An inning later, Cal took the lead for good with a two-out grand slam from Jett Kenady to go up 8-5 heading into the seventh-inning stretch.
- Following the stretch, Tiroly clobbered a two-run homer to the bleachers in left for his third and final homer of the day.
- In relief, Thomas Stewart tossed 1.2 innings of shutout ball to keep the Cavaliers within striking distance.
- Cal’s Trent Roach retired all six Virginia batters that he faced to earn a save and seal the series win for the Bears.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Joe Tiroly’s performance on Sunday marked the second time this season that a Cavalier has hit three home runs in a game. AJ Gracia hit a trio of long balls against Monmouth on Feb. 20.
- Tiroly is the first Cavalier to hit three home runs at home since Henry Ford recorded three dingers against North Carolina in 2024.
- UVA’s five home runs on Sunday give the Cavaliers a total of 88 on the season to surpass the 2023 squad for the second-most home runs in a season. The 2024 team holds the program with 116 long balls.
- Since returning from injury, Thomas Stewart has thrown 7.1 scoreless innings across six relief appearances.
- Tyler Kapa recorded the final two outs on Sunday for UVA and now has not surrendered a run in 18 of his 22 relief appearances this season.
FROM COACH CHRIS POLLARD:
“It’s two swings with a chance to get off the field. It’s the two-run home run in the fifth and the grand slam in the seventh. You got two pitches to get off the field and it’s a 7-2 ballgame. Credit Cal for putting two big swings in two big spots. I told the team after the handshake line that we do not have 33 wins without Lucas Hartman. Hartman has done an incredible job all year and we will continue to believe in him and put him in there in big spots. Again, just credit Cal. Two big swings on off-speed pitches in two-out situations.”
UP NEXT
To close out the home portion of the 2026 regular season, Virginia will host the Richmond Spiders at Disharoon Park on Tuesday (May 12). First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. and will be carried on ACCNX and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM).
