Riding high off a gritty midweek win over Liberty, No. 10 Virginia travelled to Pittsburgh — the site of this year’s NFL Draft — hoping to hear its name called in the win column. In a back-and-forth affair, the Cavaliers (29-14, 12-10 ACC) dropped the series opener to Pitt (26-14, 8-11 ACC) 7-5, despite holding multiple leads and threatening late.
The Cavaliers had no shortage of chances Friday evening. They outhit the Panthers and created plenty of run-scoring opportunities, but a lack of timely hitting and a series of a few terrific defensive plays by Pitt took away multiple runs and kept the game in reach.
“They made three great players on us with runners in scoring position,” Coach Chris Pollard said. “Zatkowski was great for us, they took some runs away from us with great defensive plays and we had some plays that we didn’t make that we needed to.”
Freshman infielder RJ Holmes got the scoring started in the second with an RBI single, staying with a breaking ball down in the zone and driving it up the middle.
Holmes, who recently took over for injured All-American junior infielder Eric Becker, continues to impress. Holmes is now slashing .343/.410/.571 on the season, lessening the blow of Becker’s hand injury and providing Pollard with stability up the middle.
Pitt answered in the bottom of the inning with a two-run home run, before Virginia continued to tack on runs across the middle innings.
Junior infielder Sam Harris and senior outfielder Harrison Didawick each collected RBI singles, while sophomore outfielder Zach Jackson launched a home run in the sixth to give the Cavaliers a 4-2 advantage.
“[Jackson] continues to grow into a better and better player,” Pollard said. “His first full year as a college baseball player … with every day and at bat that goes by, he's learning how to play at this level and he’s got a really bright future.”
Sophomore left hander Henry Zatkowski gave Pollard length in a terrific start, continuing to round into form as the Cavaliers navigate the heart of conference play. Zatkowski went seven innings, allowing four earned runs while striking out nine hitters — his ability to work deep into games has allowed Pollard to preserve his bullpen in series openers.
Knotted at four entering the seventh, junior infielder Joe Tiroly turned on an elevated pitch and blasted it to left for a go-ahead home run. The 5-4 lead put Virginia in position to trust its typically reliable bullpen.
Clinging to a one-run lead, however, Pollard elected to trust Zatkowski and let him start the eighth, despite a pitch count north of 100. A leadoff walk prompted Pollard to turn to graduate reliever Lucas Hartman, his ace setup man.
After a strong outing Wednesday, Hartman struggled to settle in. He allowed an RBI double that tied the game before surrendering a two-run home run to senior infielder Carter Dierdorf that put the Panthers ahead by two.
Chasing two runs in the ninth, the Cavaliers threatened yet again. Tiroly and Harris walked and junior catcher Jake Weatherspoon lined a single through the left side to load the bases, before junior outfielder Kyle Johnson lined out sharply to third base and Jackson struck out to leave them loaded in the ninth.
That wasn’t the first hit taken away from Johnson. In the fifth inning, he blasted a ball over the center field fence, but senior outfielder AJ Nessler brought the ball — and Johnson’s three-run homer — back, keeping Virginia at bay.
With the loss, the Cavaliers fell to 25-2 when leading after the seventh, a reflection of what has been a terrific back end of the bullpen for much of the season. Friday’s result marked a rare late-game stumble for a team that has generally been able to close out narrow leads.
Johnson, a two-way star, will get another opportunity against the Panthers Saturday afternoon — this time, he will do it from the mound. He is set to make his sixth start of the season as Virginia looks to even the series.
Pollard noted postgame that both Becker and junior outfielder AJ Gracia are “day to day,” leaving open the possibility that either could return this weekend. Gracia has been in concussion protocol since last weekend's series against Clemson.
First pitch Saturday is set for 3 p.m.
Read More
No. 12 Virginia steamrolls Drexel 17-6 to conclude regular season
By Adair Reid | 8 hours ago“We're just trying to play our best lacrosse,” Tiffany said. “As we go down to Charlotte, first and foremost, I want to win an ACC tournament … that's what we're striving for right now.”
Virginia wins for the first time in 13 days, snaps losing streak at six against Wolfpack
By Ben McNiff | 8 hours ago“You could just feel like everyone took a deep breath,” Hardin said.
Chris Pollard’s message for Virginia? ‘Be the buffalo’
By Xander Tilock | Yesterday“The buffalo just goes straight into the storm, attacks it every day,” graduate catcher Noah Jouras said. “If you welcome that adversity and just attack it, you can get through it much quicker and come out even stronger on the other end.”
