Quieted by Jay Woolfolk and Virginia, Virginia Tech struggled to generate much offense on Thursday in the Hokies’ 12-2 loss to the Cavaliers at English Field.
A 3-2 game after seven innings that ballooned in the final two frames, Tech (29-23, 11-17 ACC) held UVa (31-16, 15-10) at bay for a while with its pitching and defense but couldn’t keep pace in the end.
“That was a pretty good sized ass whooping right there,” Hokies head coach John Szefc said after the defeat. “It was actually kind of a closer game for seven innings and then just blew up on us after that, but the final score was an ass whooping.”
Woolfolk was a large reason why. The senior arm went eight innings for the Cavaliers but threw just 94 total pitches and only yielded two runs, which came in the seventh inning off a two-run blast from Sam Tackett. He was nearly perfect outside of that, allowing only five total hits and one walk while striking out six. (For comparison, the Hokies threw 183 pitches as a staff.)
“He obviously has pretty good stuff,” Tech shortstop Clay Grady said of Woolfolk. “His fastball stays at the top well, but I feel like he really just got ahead of hitters. It doesn’t matter how good your stuff is; if you can get ahead of hitters, you’re going to be successful in any league.”
Woolfolk, who also played quarterback at Virginia, retired the first 10 Tech batters before Grady walked and Ben Watson singled to right field in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to 17 games.
However, the Hokies popped into a double play with runners on the corners, with Sam Tackett’s attempted bunt to bring home Grady falling into the hands of a diving Woolfolk just off the mound. He turned and threw to third to nab Grady before he tagged up.
JAY WOOLFOLK. ATHLETE. ?
?: ACCNX | #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/VC7AYNWgIT— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) May 15, 2025
Had Tech converted, it would’ve leveled the game. UVa struck first after center fielder Aidan Teel opened the game with a double to left field and was brought home by Henry Ford’s RBI single to right. Yet, after giving up three singles to the first four batters, Hokies starting pitcher Brett Renfrow got out of the jam when shortstop Clay Grady helped turn a double play.
As a result, Tackett’s missed opportunity on the squeeze play was huge. The game remained close, though.
Game 1 of the rivalry was a pitcher’s duel through five frames between the two aces. Renfrow’s defense came up clutch multiple times, whether it was Grady in the infield, Cam Pittman nabbing a ball in center field or Tech catching Luke Hanson stealing to end the fifth. On the other side, Woolfolk struck out all three batters in the bottom of the fifth.
It was still a 1-0 contest entering the sixth before Virginia first baseman Chris Arroyo singled up the middle and crossed home plate via a single from designated hitter Harrison Didawick.
Tech got out of the frame on the next batter, which was Renfrow’s last action, yet the Cavaliers had a two-run cushion and continued to hold the Hokies at bay. That included an impressive diving catch from left fielder James Nunnallee for the second out of the sixth.
Cameron LeJeune replaced Renfrow in the seventh and walked Hanson, UVa’s leadoff batter, who made it home off an RBI double from shortstop Eric Becker.
Virginia Tech finally got ahold of Woolfolk and struck back with Tackett’s homer, which scored Grady, who had doubled to jumpstart the bottom of the seventh. Tackett made the most of the first pitch he saw after the failed bunt attempt three innings prior.
“Just trying to move on,” Tackett said. “It’s a frustrating thing to do, kind of takes away, gives them a whole momentum shift that we could’ve had going our way and I popped a bunt up, something I take a lot of pride in, so I was really frustrated. But just being able to move on and just trying to be ready for that next pitch.”
The Hokies finally had life as they cut the deficit to 3-2. But it was short-lived.
LeJeune returned to the mound for the start of the eighth and things got out of hand quickly. Arroyo took him to deep right field on the first pitch of the inning before catcher Jacob Ference singled and stole second. Didawick singled to score him, which made it 5-2.
Tech turned to Preston Crowl out of the bullpen, but things continued to worsen. Nunnallee, Hanson and Becker singled in a span of four batters, which brought home three runs, and it was 8-2 in the blink of an eye.
“Defense wins games most of the time,” Grady said. “As you saw, there were a lot of situations where they could’ve scored runs and our defense made big plays. … It was a one-run, two-run game and then they kind of opened it up there and found some holes and we didn’t. That’s kind of the name of the game there.”
The Hokies couldn’t conjure up much in response as Woolfolk continued his stunning outing. Catcher Henry Cooke led off the eighth with a single, but pinch hitter Nick Locurto grounded into a double play before Pittman struck out.
Even when Woolfolk was replaced by Wes Arrington to start the ninth, Tech only reached base when Tackett was hit by a pitch with two outs.
“He mixed well, but you can’t let a starter go eight innings in your own park,” Szefc said of Woolfolk.
The Cavaliers piled on all the while, overshadowing a solid 101-pitch outing from Renfrow. He wasn’t perfect, but despite yielding eight hits and two walks, he struck out three batters and only allowed two runs. In all, he faced 26 hitters over six innings of work. It was a 2-0 game when he exited.
“Really just attacking them,” Renfrow said. “All of my stuff was working pretty well. Got in the zone early so it helped me a lot.”
“He made some big pitches when he had to. He gave us a chance,” Szefc said of Renfrow.
The final score looked much different. UVa plated five runs in the eighth and four more in the ninth, which featured a two-run homer by Ference and an RBI double from Nunnallee, who eventually scored on a passed ball for the 12th and final run.
The Cavaliers finished with 27 total baserunners; the Hokies had six. Through seven frames, when it was a 3-2 contest, that margin was 16 to four. Considering how little offense Tech produced, it seemed like just a matter of time before UVa broke through.
“We need to pitch better, we need to do everything better,” Szefc said. “Pitch better, hit better, not make errors. Every category of the game. But they’re good. That’s a really good baseball team, and if you’re going to play nine innings with them, you need to play nine good innings — it can’t be six, it can’t be seven.”
It was the second time this season Tech allowed 20-plus hits. The other was on May 4 in a 13-inning defeat to Pitt, who racked up 23. What’s more, Virginia was 7-for-9 in the leadoff spot on Thursday.
Game 2 of the Commonwealth Clash is at 3 p.m. ET on Friday at English Field. ACC Network Extra has the television coverage.
Box Score: Virginia 12, Virginia Tech 2