Pavin Smith's three RBI and a strong start from Brandon Waddell enabled Virginia to end the ACC's 50-year title drought at the College World Series with a 4-2 win over defending champion Vanderbilt in Wednesday's deciding Game 3.

Smith belted a two-run homer off Dodgers first-round pick Walker Buehler and laced a single that snapped a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning. Waddell overcame a shaky first inning to hold the Commodores to four hits over seven frames and help Virginia secure its first-ever national title.

The Cavaliers came very close a year ago, falling to Vanderbilt in three games in the championship series. They were down a game in this year's event before forcing the winner-take-all matchup with a 3-0 victory Tuesday behind a combined shutout from Adam Haseley and John Sborz.

The title is just the second by an ACC member school. Wake Forest captured the other all the way back in 1955.

Smith's blast that followed a leadoff walk to Kenny Towns knotted the score at 2-2 in the top of the fourth, and the Cavaliers never relinquished momentum after moving ahead an inning later.

The freshman first baseman came through again in his next at-bat, shooting a single through the left side that brought in Haseley, who drew a walk against John Kilichowski to begin the fifth and just beat Jeren Kendall's throw home from left field to score the go-ahead run.

Towns had kept the game tied a half-inning prior with a sensational diving stab of Tyler Campbell's hard grounder to third with a Vanderbilt runner on third and two out.

Waddell protected the lead from there, retiring 11 straight after Penn Murfee's double in the fourth. Nathan Kirby finished it off by striking out five over the final two innings.

UVa tacked on an insurance run when Haseley singled in the seventh and crossed the plate on Towns' two-out hit after being moved up on Daniel Pinero's sacrifice bunt.