No. 10 Virginia defeated No. 23 North Carolina State 9-5 on a Saturday when Henry Ford drove his way to a record in Charlottesville.
The Cavaliers (37-13, 15-11 ACC) evened their three-game series against the Wolfpack (28-19, 14-11) at Disharoon Park. Ford hit his 16th home run of the season to set the UVA freshman record.
Ford eclipsed the record of 15, held since 2002 by former major leaguer Mark Reynolds of Virginia Beach, with a fifth-inning, two-run blast. Ford was 2 for 4 with a pair of RBIs and a run. Griff O’Ferrall and Casey Saucke each had three hits to lead the ACC’s most potent offense.
UVA starting pitcher Joe Savino pitched five innings, giving up one run. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and retired the next 12 batters.
Miami 7, Virginia Tech 5: The Hurricanes (23-26, 10-16 ACC) erased a 4-2 deficit in Blacksburg with a five-run sixth inning and held off the Hokies (31-17, 13-13).
Miami clinched the series, which will close with Sunday’s 1 p.m. game.
Tech junior third baseman Carson DeMartini, from Ocean Lakes High, scored after both of his doubles. Clay Grady was 2 for 3.
Jacob Stretch (0-3) took the loss. In the sixth, Dorian Gonzalez drew a bases-loaded walk that gave Miami a 5-4 lead. Carlos Perez followed with a two-run single.
With runners at the corners and one out during the bottom of the ninth, Grady grounded into a game-ending, 6-3 double play.
Towson 9, William & Mary 7: The Tigers (14-37, 4-18) evened the series against the Tribe (28-22, 11-12) at Plumeri Park, hurting W&M’s drive for one of the six Coastal Athletic Association Tournament berths.
W&M, which began the day a game ahead of Hofstra for the sixth and final spot, fell behind 7-0 in the third inning, caught up in the fifth, then yielded two runs in the sixth. Towson broke the 7-7 tie with a run on a fielding error and an infield single, dealing reliever Mark Hindy (5-3) the defeat.
Casey Bishop had three hits and three RBIs for Towson. Jerry Barnes III had a two-run double and RBI single for W&M, and Luca Trigiani clubbed a two-run homer. Christian Rush had four hits, and Henry Jackson and Joe Delossantos scored twice apiece.
Appalachian State 4, Old Dominion 3, 10 innings: The Mountaineers (30-16-1, 15-10-1 Sun Belt) took a 2-0 lead in the final series before renovations at the Monarchs’ ballpark.
Despite seven stellar innings from reliever John Holobetz, ODU (26-23, 12-14) trailed 3-0 before Luke Waters’ RBI triple in the eighth and Jake Ticer’s two-run homer in the ninth extended the game. But in the 10th, Hunter Wilder belted a solo homer to right field off reliever Brandon Pond, and the Monarchs couldn’t respond. Waters and teammate Kyle Edwards each were 4 for 5.
Stonehill 10, Norfolk State 1: The Spartans (12-37, 4-15 Northeast Conference) fell as the Seahawks (17-25) leveled their series in North Easton, Massachusetts.
Manny Jackson scored on a Stonehill error with Kydese Queen batting in the second inning to give NSU a 1-0 lead, but the Spartans managed just six hits — two by Jackson. Stonehill starter Peter Haas (3-6) struck out nine and walked one in eight innings.
NSU starter John Horton (2-6) struck out five in seven innings, giving up seven hits and four runs.
Conor Kiely and Dylan Zemotel drove in three runs each for Stonehill.
