RICHMOND, Va. (Interstat) — Ethan Acevedo delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday, lifting Virginia Commonwealth to a 2-1 victory over Holy Cross in the season opener for both teams at The Diamond.

In a game defined by pitching and small ball, the Rams capitalized on a critical Holy Cross error in the final frame to secure the win. VCU improved to 1-0, while the Crusaders fell to 0-1.

The contest was a pitchers’ duel from the start, with the only run through eight innings coming via small ball and a mistake. Holy Cross scratched across a run in the fourth without a hit. Charlie Egrie led off with a single, stole second and third, and then raced home on a wild pitch by VCU starter Fenix DiGiacomo.

VCU answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning, tying the game with a textbook display of situational hitting. Quinn Maher and Dante DeFranco singled and walked, respectively, and were moved over by a sacrifice bunt from Trent Adelman. Nate Kirkpatrick then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Maher to knot the game at 1-1.

The score remained deadlocked into the ninth, as relievers Caleb Clover, Zach Peters of VCU and Jack Lenahan of Holy Cross traded zeros. Peters, who earned the win, worked two perfect innings with four strikeouts.

The decisive bottom of the ninth began with Holy Cross misfortune. VCU’s Trent Adelman reached first on a throwing error by the Crusaders’ catcher and advanced to second on the play. Kirkpatrick then executed his second sacrifice bunt of the game, moving Adelman to third with one out.

That brought Acevedo, who had entered the game as a defensive replacement in left field in the top of the inning, to the plate. On a 1-1 count, he lifted a deep fly ball to left field. Adelman tagged and scored easily, giving the Rams the victory without the benefit of a hit in the inning.

The most important sequence of the game was undoubtedly the bottom of the ninth. It encapsulated the entire contest: strong pitching limited opportunities, so capitalizing on mistakes and executing fundamental plays became paramount. Holy Cross’s costly error opened the door, and VCU, which had emphasized sacrifice plays all afternoon, walked through it. Kirkpatrick’s well-placed bunt and Acevedo’s productive fly ball were pure, situational execution, turning an opponent’s mishap into a winning run.

VCU’s pitching staff combined to allow just one hit—the fourth-inning single by Egrie—while striking out 15 Holy Cross batters. DiGiacomo went four innings, allowing one run on one hit with five strikeouts. Clover provided three scoreless innings of relief, and Peters dominated the final two frames.

Holy Cross pitchers were nearly as effective, holding the Rams to five hits, but issued seven walks. Crusaders starter Jack Wywoda allowed one run on three hits over five innings.

Offensively for VCU, Maher went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Nick Flores and DeFranco each added a single.

The two teams are scheduled for a doubleheader on Saturday to continue the series.

Interstat’s ELO system had projected VCU with a 68% probability to win.