Virginia tops ECU to advance in NCAA baseball tournament

Virginia pitcher Connelly Early celebrates during the Cavaliers' win over East Carolina in the Charlottesville Regional final on Sunday at Disharoon Park.

CHARLOTTESVILLE – As a two-time Patriot League champion at Army, Connelly Early transferred to Virginia with NCAA baseball regional pitching experience.

But he had never started a game with the chance to advance on the line. That changed Sunday night, and Early – the former James River High School star – delivered.

Early turned in the best start of his career, allowing two runs while striking out 10 over 6 1/3 innings, and Ethan O’Donnell hit a two-out, three-run home run in the seventh as seventh-seeded Virginia topped East Carolina, 8-3, to sweep its regional and advance.

"You’re going to go through ups and downs the whole entire season," Early said. "You have to stick with what you do best. You gotta find a way to put yourself in that best position one time a week, if you’re a starter."

Anthony Stephan hit a 3-run home run in the eight inning and Kyle Teel added a solo shot in the ninth.

"Sometimes you just have to hang in there," UVa coach Brian O'Connor said. "We had opportunities early and couldn't capitalize. This time of year, it's about big moments. It's about players that elevate themselves and rise to another level at championship time. ... To be sitting here, having won a regional, you need a lot of guys to step up."

Virginia will host the winner of Monday's game between Coastal Carolina and Duke in a Super Regional this coming weekend with a trip to the College World Series on the line.

For Early, who transferred from Army after last season, this was his third regional pitching appearance.

In 2022, the Midlothian native gave up just one earned run in six innings against Southern Mississippi, leaving a hard-luck loser after a 2-0 defeat. In 2021, as a freshman reliever, he allowed three runs in two innings during a 13-6 loss to UCLA.

This time, Early had the ball for the region's top seed, and he got clutch run support.

ECU led 2-1 after four innings and held that lead going into the seventh. But the bottom of UVa's lineup go things going. No. 8 hitter Henry Godbout singled and nine-hole hitter Colin Tuft drew a walk. After Griff O’Ferrall struck out, O’Donnell drove the first pitch he saw in the at-bat over the left field wall to put Virginia ahead.

Early exited with one out in the bottom of the seventh, having thrown 102 pitches. After Jay Woolfolk, also a quarterback on the Virginia football team, came in and allowed a single, Evan Blanco finished off the frame without allowing a run.

Sunday's game was a rematch of Saturday night's meeting.

After the two teams combined to score 29 runs in their opening wins Friday, Nick Parker and Jack Berry pitched UVa past the Pirates, 2-1, in that one.

The loss dropped ECU into an elimination game earlier Sunday. The Pirates held off Oklahoma, 8-5, to earn another shot at Virginia.

Unlike the first meeting, both teams scored early in this one.

Teel's two-out double to right scored Jake Gelof and gave Virginia a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

ECU answered in the bottom half of the frame. O’Donnell, Virginia's center fielder, misread a shot to deep center by Jacob Starling, allowing Starling a leadoff double. He came in to score on Josh Moylan's sacrifice fly to left.

Virginia loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the third but Ethan Anderson flew out to right to end the inning.

East Carolina took its first lead in the bottom of the fourth, going up 2-1 after three singles.

Connelly pitched out of his toughest jam in the bottom of the fifth inning. He started the frame giving up a leadoff single, then faced Cam Clonch with two on and two out. On a full count, Connelly struck Clonch out looking, his eighth strike out of the night.

He’d record two more before leaving to a standing ovation from the capacity crowd.

ECU scored a run in the bottom of the eighth, then loaded the bases with two outs. Starling drove a ball to the warning track off reliever Anthony Tonas that Tuft ran down.

Virginia got that run back when Teel blasted a solo home run to deep, straightaway center in the top of the ninth.

"Just couldn't come up with a big hit," ECU coach Chris Godwin said. "The difference in the game was, they got two three-run homers and we didn't get a big hit with some guys on base. ... For us to keep them down for 15 innings out of the 18 innings that we played, it's pretty good when, in my opinion, that's the best offense in the country."

Jake Berry, who pitched two scoreless innings for the save against the Pirates on Saturday, tossed a perfect bottom of the ninth to end things.

Virginia was hosting its first regional since 2016 and will now host its first super regional since 2015, when it won the College World Series.

#3 Kyle Teel UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

From left to right, #14 Jack O'Connor and #9 Travis Reifsnider UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

#12 Justin Rubin UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

#9 Travis Reifsnider UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

#12 Justin Rubin Uva UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

#5 Luke Hanson UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

#34 Harrison Didawick UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

#35 Cullen McKay UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

#3 Kyle Teel UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

#30 Kevin Jaxel UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

#8 Casey Saucke UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

#7 Henry Godbout UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

#5 Luke Hanson UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

#35 Cullen McKay UVa UVa Vs. Army for the Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament at Disharoom Field on Friday, June 2, 2023.

Mike Barber (804) 649-6546

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@RTD_MikeBarber on Twitter

Edgington threw five hitless, scoreless innings before being pulled, presumably to make him available if UVa has to play Monday.

At Virginia Tech, Mike Young said his program won't stop redshirting players out of fear they might leave.