Stephan's Homer Gives Virginia Walk-Off Win Over Navy in Seven Innings

Anthony Stephan waited for an opportune moment to hit his first home run of the season. It wasn't a traditional walk-off, but a walk-off homer nonetheless.

Stephan blasted a long ball that cleared everything in right field and exited the park to give No. 11 Virginia (35-12) a 10-0 run-rule victory over Navy (25-20) on Wednesday evening at Disharoon Park, sending the Cavaliers into the exam break on a four-game winning streak.

After UVA's normal Friday starter Evan Blanco worked around a single and an error in the top of the first, the Cavaliers used some small ball to get on the board in the bottom of the first as Griff O'Ferrall hit a leadoff single, moved to second on an Ethan Anderson single, advanced to third on a fly-out by Casey Saucke, and then scored on a Henry Ford sacrifice fly.

Blanco retired the side in order the top of the second and then Henry Godbout hit his second home run in as many days, crushing a solo shot to left-center field.

Virginia opened things up in the bottom of the third, as Anthony Stephan hit a two-run double into the gap in right-center field. Godbout followed that up with an RBI double of his own and then scored on an Eric Becker single, capping a four-run frame to give the Cavaliers a 7-0 lead.

UVA tacked on two more runs in the fourth on a Ford RBI single and a Harrison Didawick RBI double to make it 9-0.

Blanco finished out his five innings of scoreless work, earning his fifth win of the season, before turning the ball over to Matt Augustin, who kept it going by retiring each of the six batters he faced in the sixth and seventh.

That ended up being all the Cavaliers needed from their pitching staff, as Stephan triggered the 10-run rule by turning on a 1-0 pitch and golfing it out of Disharoon Park for the walk-off winner.

Stephan's walk-off home run was Virginia's first walk-off homer since April 23rd, 2022, when Devin Ortiz walked off North Carolina with a grand slam in extra innings. Stephan went 3 for 4 with three RBI and three runs scored and was just a triple shy of the cycle. Henry Godbout also had three RBI and went 2 for 3, while Henry Ford and Ethan Anderson both had two hits.

Virginia has this weekend off for final exams and will host George Washington next Wednesday at 1pm, the second of eight-straight home games at Disharoon Park to wrap up the regular season.