In a late-inning explosion to conclude game one of Virginia’s final series against Virginia Tech Thursday, the Cavaliers stamped their authority — something that they have only recently resuscitated amidst what has been an excellent stretch to close out the regular season. However, from the outset of game two Friday, the Cavaliers (31-17, 15-11 ACC) appeared uninspired and despondent. The result was a 5-4 loss to the Hokies (30-23, 12-17 ACC) that ultimately felt more like an inverted variation of the previous night’s result.
For the first time since April 15, Virginia failed to score five runs in a game. However, there were plenty of chances to tally that elusive fifth run, as the Cavaliers left 10 runners on base. That is not a recipe for victory — especially when a baserunning blunder cost Virginia the tying run.
In the top of the ninth inning, sophomore infielder Eric Becker was hit by a pitch, and became the tying run at first base with no outs. He proceeded to serve as the fatal dagger.
Junior outfielder Aidan Teel flew out to center field, and Becker attempted to tag up from first base. He was ruled out. Suddenly, the Cavaliers went from having the tying run on base and no outs to being down to their final out with no runners on.
“We were very aggressive on the basepaths,” Coach Brian O’Connor said. “That’s what we’ve been over the past three weeks, and we’re going to continue to be that way. You can’t second guess what we were doing. Becker there in the ninth made a very, very aggressive play, and saw the throw offline and took a chance and it just didn’t pan out.”
To make matters worse, junior utilityman Chris Arroyo cranked a double down the right field line — which likely would have scored Becker, had he still been standing on first base. One groundout later, Virginia was left with a 5-4 loss instead of playing for extra innings.
The Cavaliers cannot afford to run themselves out of games, especially considering that they are among the last four teams projected to reach the NCAA Tournament, according to D1 Baseball. One or two losses could boot Virginia out of the bracket. Becker’s aggressive attempt to reach second base could have a significant impact on postseason hopes.
Yet, while that mistake was the biggest one, it was not the only reason the Cavaliers lost. Junior pitcher Bradley Hodges dug Virginia into a hole early on, and the offense was unable to claw all the way back.
Hodges made a mess of the bottom half of the first inning following an opening double. Two walks and two hits later, the Hokies had their first two runs on the board.
The Cavaliers’ response was not far behind, as sophomore outfielder Henry Ford took a third-inning fastball from freshman left-hander Jake Marciano deep to left-center field to tie the game. Ford’s 10th home run of the season elevated him to a tie for the team lead with Arroyo.
There was little time to celebrate, however, as the Hokies immediately hit back with another two-run inning of their own. After giving up a fielder’s choice that plated one and a single that added another, Hodges was pulled. The outing was his third-shortest of the year as he was only able to get through two-and-two-thirds innings before sophomore Bryson Moore was brought on to stop the bleeding.
As has been the ever-prevalent theme over the course of the last 15 games, Virginia was not quick to go quietly. In the top of the fourth, graduate catcher Jacob Ference led off the frame with a walk. A subsequent steal combined with a defensive throwing error meant a man on third with just one out. Freshman outfielder James Nunnallee was able to cash in, driving a ball into left field for two bags and a run batted in. A single courtesy of Becker drove him home, but he, junior infielder Luke Hanson and Ford were all stranded on an Arroyo flyout to center.
Moore produced a quick one-two-three inning and it seemed as though the Cavaliers may have found something, a speck of resolve that could eschew the damage of the game’s first few innings. But Virginia’s offense went cold, a drought that persisted until the very end.
The Cavaliers would only manage two hits in the remaining five innings of the contest, wasting a solid relief outing from Moore and junior Evan Blanco — the pair that kept the Hokies to just one run in that span. Perhaps the only intriguing snippet worth noting was the ejection of Virginia Tech’s Coach, John Szefc, on a call at second base that was ruled out on the field and then promptly overturned, allotting junior outfielder Harrison Didawick a stolen base.
Ultimately, a sixth-inning solo home run off the bat of senior infielder David Lewis was the only thing that stood between the Cavaliers and victory in a game that could influence what is still an extremely unsteady postseason position for Virginia.
The Cavaliers will look to conclude their regular season tomorrow with a win against a rival that has proved up to the task in this series. Freshman southpaw Tomas Valincius will take the mound for Virginia in a pivotal rubber match that begins at 1:00 p.m. on ACCNX.
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