Virginia advances into ACC baseball tournament pool play

Virginia advanced into pool play of the ACC baseball tournament with an 11-0 victory against Georgia Tech on Tuesday in a tournament play-in game at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The game ended in seven innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.

The Cavaliers (34-19), who entered the tournament after a three-game sweep at North Carolina, have now won seven consecutive games. They will play Miami, the tournament’s second seed, on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Virginia right-hander Josh Sborz, a junior, retired the first 18 batters he faced and took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He completed the game. The Yellow Jackets (32-23), who were the tournament’s 10th seed, have now lost five consecutive games.

Star of the game: Sborz turned in the best pitching performance of the season for Virginia. The complete game shutout was the first by a Virginia pitcher this season, and it was the first time the Cavaliers shut out an ACC opponent this season.

Observations:

▪  The Cavaliers struggled at times during the regular season, but they seem to be peaking at the right time. They outscored UNC 16-5 during that three-game sweep last week in Chapel Hill, and they blew the game open Tuesday when they sent eight batters to the plate during the four-run third inning.

▪  Georgia Tech didn’t have a base runner during the first six innings before ending Sborz’s no-hitter with a double in the seventh inning. After two walks, Sborz retired the final batter and left the bases loaded.

This story was originally published May 19, 2015 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Virginia advances into ACC baseball tournament pool play."