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Virginia coach Tony Elliott knew he had a team ready to make a breakthrough. He had no idea it would happen the way it did: On the road, in historic fashion.

But what he will remember most from the Cavaliers‘ stunning 31-27 upset victory over No. 10 North Carolina on Saturday night is the pure joy in the locker room. Because only they know how much they have endured since last Nov. 13, when Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry were tragically shot and killed after returning to campus from a field trip.

To put it simply, Elliott told ESPN on Sunday afternoon, his team has not stopped believing since that tragic day.

“That’s what my message was in my postgame, right there on the field, just acknowledging the fact that it’s been a hard road,” Elliott said. “It wasn’t even a sense of relief. It was just joy to see these young men smile. For me personally, it was a moment of confirmation that everything that we’ve tried to do since the passing of our three young men has been the right thing.

“This isn’t the only way that it’s going to be measured, but it was awesome to see the young men smiling and dancing and having joy in the locker room.”

It was the first road win in Virginia history against a top-10 ranked opponent, and it was the largest upset by an ACC team since NC State beat No. 2 Florida State in 1998. It was also Virginia’s first ACC win in a calendar year — since a 16-9 victory over Georgia Tech on Oct. 20, 2022. The final two games of the 2022 regular season were canceled following the shooting.

Virginia opened this season 0-5 — three of those five losses came by three points or less, all of them in the final minutes of the game. Elliott kept reminding players that, at some point, those close losses would turn into close wins, but they had to be willing to step up and make plays when it mattered the most.

A home win against William & Mary helped, but an open date the week before playing the rival Tar Heels provided an opportunity to hit the reset button and send a message as a 24-point underdog.

“There’s three things in life you don’t get back. That’s time, words and opportunity,” Elliott said. “We don’t get back those opportunities that we missed in the first half of the season, so let’s focus on what we can control and how we play. What are the things we need to do better? I think the guys took that to heart.”

Headed into the UNC game, the Cavaliers emphasized controlling the line of scrimmage with their offensive line — something Virginia struggled to do in the early part of the season due to injuries and a lack of depth. But with Mike Hollins taking charge in the backfield, Virginia set the tone up front — rushing for 228 yards.

Hollins, who survived the shooting that killed his teammates, had three rushing touchdowns.

When James Jackson intercepted Drake Maye with 26 seconds left to seal the victory, jubilation ensued.

“How do you keep believing when you come up short in a football game? Because it’s just a football game,” Elliott said. “They had to believe in each other to get through December, January and those months right after everything took place. So that’s what gives them the fortitude to just keep believing. Because at the end of the day, they’ve been taken down to their knees and broken down with what happened. The only way that they were able to build themselves back up, to be able to take one step after another was to believe: to believe in each other, to believe in a greater cause than what they’re seeing, to have faith in something that they hope for.

“That’s what I believe is the motivating factor. These young men, those in particular that were here last year, they’ve been through something that forced them to come together and believe in each other. So they truly understand what it means to believe. Why yesterday? I don’t really know. That’s for the Lord to reveal in due time. We kept believing if we persevered and stick together, and we keep the right perspective, then our reward will come at the appropriate time. It’s awesome they’re going to be able to say that all of us collectively were a part of making history.”

Elliott said he made sure to take a few minutes in the locker room to watch his players celebrate, to remember that moment forever.

“Because that’s what motivates me,” Elliott said. “That’s really why you coach, to be honest with you, is for those moments.”

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Ohtani takes Miz deep but phenom fans 12 in win

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Ohtani takes Miz deep but phenom fans 12 in win

MILWAUKEE — Shohei Ohtani greeted Jacob Misiorowski with a leadoff homer, but the Milwaukee Brewers‘ rookie phenom got the last word.

After giving up Ohtani’s 431-foot blast, Misiorowski responded with another dominant outing. He struck out a career-high 12 batters — including two-way superstar Ohtani in the third inning — to lead the Brewers to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.

“It’s Shohei Ohtani,” Misiorowski said. “You kind of expect [that]. It’s cool to see him do it in action, but it fires me up even more coming back the next at-bat and striking him out. I’m right there. I think it was a moment of like, ‘OK, now we go.'”

Misiorowski, whose fastball routinely tops 100 mph, threw an 88.2 mph curveball on an 0-2 count to Ohtani, who crushed it for his 31st homer. That’s the most by a Dodgers player before the All-Star break.

It was the 21st career leadoff homer for the three-time MVP, who struck out swinging on a curveball in the third and walked to start the sixth. That was the only walk given up by Misiorowski, who scattered four hits.

“Really good stuff, aggressive in the zone,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “But what really stood out to me was his command and control.”

Misiorowski outdueled three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who surpassed 3,000 career strikeouts in his previous outing. Asked Monday about his matchup with Misiorowski, Kershaw said he only knew that the 6-foot-7 right-hander threw hard.

“I know him now, huh?” Kershaw said Tuesday. “That was super impressive. That was unbelievable. It was really special. Everything. Obviously the velo, but he’s got four pitches, commands the ball. I don’t know how you hit that, honestly. That’s just really tough.”

Misiorowski was glad to get Kershaw’s attention.

“I saw something online that he didn’t now who I was, so I hope he knows me now,” Misiorowski said. “It’s kind of cool.”

In five starts since the Brewers called him up from the minors, Misiorowski has already beaten Kershaw and 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. In another outing, Misiorowski carried a perfect game into the seventh inning.

“He’s just broken the shell,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s just out of the egg, all arms and legs. He’s still got gooey stuff coming off, you can see it, all arms and legs, but there’s something special about him.”

The numbers would indicate as much. Misiorowski is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA and has given up only 12 hits in 25⅔ innings.

He topped out at 101.6 mph and threw 20 pitches of at least 100 on Tuesday. He also threw 19 curveballs after using curves only 10% of the time before Tuesday.

He was coming off his only shaky performance, giving up five runs — including a grand slam by Brandon Nimmo — and three walks over 3⅔ innings Wednesday in a 7-3 loss to the New York Mets.

It looked as if it might be more of the same after Ohtani went deep. Misiorowski responded by striking out 12 of the next 16 batters.

“I think that’s my job, is to figure it out on the fly,” he said. “I feel like I did it tonight.”

He got out of a jam in the sixth. The Dodgers trailed 2-1 and had runners on second and third with one out, but third baseman Andruw Monasterio fielded a grounder and threw out Ohtani at the plate, and Misiorowski retired Michael Conforto on a grounder.

Misiorowski pumped his fist as he headed toward the dugout, then watched the Brewers’ bullpen nail down the win.

“It’s so satisfying,” Misiorowski said. “It’s just a dream come true, to do what I did.”

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Giants walk off on Bailey’s inside-the-park homer

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Giants walk off on Bailey's inside-the-park homer

SAN FRANCISCO — Patrick Bailey hit a three-run, inside-the-park home run with one out in the ninth inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.

Bailey became just the third catcher in MLB history to hit a walk-off, inside-the-park home run, joining the Chicago Cubs’ Pat Moran in 1907 and the Washington Nationals’ Bennie Tate in 1926.

Bailey’s homer would have been an outside-the-park home run in 29 of 30 ballparks, with Oracle Park being the exception.

Mike Yastrzemski reached base twice and scored to help the Giants to their sixth win in seven games.

Casey Schmitt began the rally with a leadoff double. After Jung Hoo Lee popped out, Wilmer Flores lined a single to center.

Bailey, who grounded into a double play and struck out in two of his previous at-bats, then smashed a 1-0 fastball from Jordan Romano (1-4) into right-center field that ricocheted off the brick part of the wall.

Ryan Walker (2-3) retired one batter, with two on in the top of the ninth, to earn the win.

Phillies All-Star Kyle Schwarber had two hits, including his team-leading 28th home run.

Schwarber flew out, struck out and was hit by a pitch before homering off Giants reliever Spencer Bivens into McCovey Cove. Brandon Marsh, who singled as a pinch hitter leading off the inning, scored on the play.

Two days after being named an All-Star for the second time in his career, Robbie Ray gave up four hits and one run in 5⅔ innings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Mets’ Mendoza: Snubbed Soto ‘an All-Star for us’

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Mets' Mendoza: Snubbed Soto 'an All-Star for us'

BALTIMORE — The New York Mets consider Juan Soto to be a bona fide All-Star, despite the snub he received from those who selected the National League squad for the Midsummer Classic on July 15.

Soto, in his first year with the Mets, has performed well enough to earn the respect of his manager and teammates. In their opinion, he’s deserving of a place in the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.

“He’s an All-Star for us,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday night after the Mets beat Baltimore 7-6. “It’s frustrating, but I’m hoping in the next couple of days we hear something and he makes it.”

Soto drove in the winning run with a sharp single on the first pitch of the 10th inning. That capped a night in which he went 3 for 5 to raise his batting average to .269 with 21 homers and 52 RBIs.

Soto has walked 72 times, by far the most in the majors, but he can also lash out at a pitcher when necessary.

“He’s got a pretty good understanding of what the pitchers are trying to do to him,” Mendoza said. “There is his awareness of the game, he’s going to see pitchers. There are times when he’s going to be aggressive. Tonight was one of those nights. First pitch in the 10th, he’s attacking.”

Soto made the All-Star team as a member of the Nationals, Padres and Yankees each year since 2021. The streak appears to be over. But his teammates believe he deserves to go.

“What he done all year is just incredible, and the results are good enough,” Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes said. “The consistency he’s showed up with, at the at-bats he’s taken, is more than an All-Star. He’s one of the best in the game and a big part of our lineup.”

Soto seems rather philosophical about the snub.

“Sometimes, you’re going to make it and sometimes you don’t,” he told reporters after Sunday’s loss to the Yankees. “It’s just part of baseball.”

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