No. 10 Virginia hosting No. 7 Florida State could very well be a postseason preview. Each team is capable of slugging with the best teams in the country and can boast an elite pitching staff. This was likely not going to be a high-scoring affair. Rather, this contest would come down to a battle of which team could make more pivotal plays.
The Seminoles (23-7, 8-3 ACC) found victory Friday by making many more difficult plays than the Cavaliers (24-8, 8-6 ACC).
Florida State was aggressive in all facets of play — dropping bunts at the plate, diving for fly balls in no man’s land defensively and swinging with power when stray fastballs sunk into the heart of the strike zone.
The result was a 5-2 loss for the Cavaliers at Disharoon Park. Virginia made three errors in the game.
“The difference today was we gave them free offense, right?” Coach Chris Pollard said postgame. “We gave them five outs in an inning, we gave them four outs in another inning, we gave them some free passes and that allowed them to string together offense.”
A sign of things to come, the first play of the game was a Virginia error. Junior outfielder Brayden Dowd smoked a ball right at junior first baseman Sam Harris, who could not complete the catch. The ball rolled into shallow right field and Dowd was aboard thanks to the first of several Cavalier errors.
Virginia did manage to preserve a shutout for the first two innings — but the talented Seminole offense would not stay silent for long. Florida State, following a blueprint laid out by Boston College, attempted three straight bunts. The strategy challenged sophomore pitcher Max Stammel, who has a more difficult throw to first base as a left-handed pitcher.
Senior infielder Carter McCulley pushed a bunt to Stammel’s right, and Stammel could not cleanly field the ball. Stammel airmailed the ball over Harris’ head as McCulley reached on the error. Dowd then attempted a bunt which was traded for a fielder’s choice.
The bunts kept coming. The next one blooped over to junior third baseman Noah Murray — who could not nail the runner in time. Stammel quickly recovered by recording his fifth strikeout in just three innings. Then the Seminoles challenged Murray again — a sizzling line drive bounced right off of Murray’s glove for the third Cavalier error of the game. The bases were then loaded with two outs.
Stammel walked in a run but responded with his season-high sixth strikeout of the game to stop the bleeding.
But once again, Florida State’s offense came roaring back in the top of the fifth inning. Sophomore infielder Noah Sheffield crushed a ball to deep left field — territory usually covered by the rangy Harrison Didawick, but the senior could not steal a hit away from Sheffield. Then a ball snuck by Murray and trouble quickly mounted for Virginia.
A sacrifice fly moved the lead to 2-0 and freshman Noah Yoder was subsequently inserted on the mound. But even the flamethrowing Yoder could not quell the Florida State momentum. Junior catcher Jake Weatherspoon dropped a third strike which drove in a run and loaded the bases with two outs. Yoder was able to escape the frame, but damage had been done in the form of the 3-0 deficit.
Virginia needed a response entering the bottom of the fifth. That rally did not come.
Sophomore outfielder Zach Jackson and junior outfielder AJ Gracia both earned free passes, and Didawick would have driven in a run but the Seminoles maintained their shutout. Junior outfielder Chase Williams made a miraculous diving catch in left field to preserve a clean scoreboard. Plays like that were made by Florida State — but the Cavaliers, broadly, did not make those big plays.
Junior second baseman Joe Tiroly made a big play with an RBI single but Harris struck out to end rally hopes. Then the Seminoles pulled ahead in the top of the sixth inning. Sophomore catcher Hunter Carns cranked a two-run homer and Florida State took a 5-1 lead. Gracia had a shot at stealing the home run but he could not track the ball into his glove.
A four-run deficit against a top-10 team is difficult to overcome. Needing a big play, Virginia finally found one as Weatherspoon blasted a solo shot into the left field bleachers. The lead was cut to 5-2 after six innings of play.
Harris and Weatherspoon both struck out to begin the bottom of the eighth, but hope quietly crescendoed for the home fans. Junior infielder Antonio Perrotta walked and advanced to second on a passed ball by Carns. Then Murray walked, providing a valuable two-out opportunity. Pollard then tapped junior utilityman Kyle Johnson to pinch hit for Jackson. Johnson struck out, with all three strikes coming from nasty curveballs by junior right-hander John Abraham.
A comeback would have to come in the ninth inning. Virginia’s top of the order was up, needing three runs to keep the game alive.
Junior shortstop Eric Becker swung for the fences — but the baseball’s journey was cut off fairly deep into the right side of left field. Gracia was able to get some momentum going, as he ripped a single into right field. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, Didawick hit right into the shortstop and finished the afternoon 0-5 at the plate.
Tiroly refused to let the game end, though. He ripped a single right into William’s diving range, but Williams could not make another highlight catch. Harris came to the plate with runners at first and third with two outs.
Carns then surrendered a passed ball and Tiroly advanced to second base. With the opportunity to be the hero for Virginia, Harris stuck out and finished the game 0-5.
“We're seeing some of the best arms in the country and competing,” Pollard said. “And again, we had the tying run at the plate there in the ninth. I thought our guys did a great job of competing to the very last pitch.”
Most Cavalier sluggers struggled to drive the ball against junior starter Trey Beard and Abraham. Florida State finished the game having used just two pitchers.
“We just saw two really good arms that executed at a really high level,” Pollard said.
A silver lining, though, is Perrotta reached base in all four of his plate appearances. He was hit by a pitch, added two walks and also contributed a single. Perrotta has continued to receive opportunities as a designated hitter and as of late, he has produced offense for Pollard’s lineup.
As he has echoed all season, Pollard’s focus immediately turns towards rebound in Sunday’s series finale at 11:00 a.m.
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