The No. 2 Virginia baseball team began its highly anticipated 2010 season by winning its opening series against No. 11 East Carolina, two games to one.
After splitting the first two contests, the Cavaliers blew open a 1-1 ball game with a six-run second inning, highlighted by junior Phil Gosselin's two-run home run and sophomore Steven Proscia's two-out RBI double. Virginia put together another big inning in the top of the sixth. With the bases loaded, junior outfielder Dan Grovatt was hit by a pitch to send sophomore second baseman Keith Werman, who hit 3-for-4 on the day, to home plate. The Pirates brought in a new pitcher, Shawn Armstrong, to face junior outfielder Jarrett Parker with the bases still loaded and zero outs. The preseason All-American was unshaken by the change, roping a triple down the right field line, clearing the bases to give Virginia a 13-4 lead.
That inning proved crucial, as the Cavalier bullpen stumbled during the eighth inning, allowing seven runs on three singles, two walks and a two-run home run off the bat of John Wooten. Junior Corey Hunt was torched for four earned runs in the inning, and junior Tyler Wilson was equally ineffective, walking the first batter he faced and allowing a double and a single. Coach Brian O'Connor was forced to bring in junior closer Kevin Arico, who recorded the final out of the inning. After the Cavaliers tacked on another run in the top of the ninth, Arico struck out two batters in the bottom half of the inning to seal the victory for Virginia.
The rubber match provided some drama to a series that had been mostly dominated by the winning squad of the previous two games. Preseason All-American Danny Hultzen got off to a shaky start in Friday's game, allowing two earned runs in the first inning. He shut out the Pirates for the next five innings, however, surrendering just two hits and one walk during that span. After Virginia tied the game in the fourth off Proscia's sacrifice fly and a Parker double, the Cavaliers seized the lead in the sixth when Proscia knocked a two-run homer over the left field wall. The sophomore finished the weekend with four hits and six RBIs.
Wilson continued Hultzen's dominance for the final three innings, shutting out the Pirates while allowing only two hits and two walks to seal the 6-2 victory.
During Saturday's game, East Carolina pitcher Kevin Brandt stifled the Cavalier lineup, allowing only one earned run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings of work en route to a 6-1 victory for the Pirates. Most impressively, he did not give up a hit to the middle of Virginia's order - Grovatt, Proscia and Parker each went 0-4 on the day. Virginia starter junior Robert Morey, meanwhile, was attributed his first career loss with 4 1/3 innings pitched and three earned runs.
Virginia resumes play Wednesday against George Washington for its first home game of the season.
-compiled by Andrew Seidman
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