Coming off a 7-4 loss to California Friday night, the Cavaliers looked to right the ship Saturday afternoon and even the series. No. 23 Virginia (33-17, 13-13 ACC) opted for the freshman righty John Paone on the mound, and the Golden Bears (26-24, 9-17 ACC) went to the centerpiece of their staff, sophomore Gavin Eddy.
Paone has shown flashes of true promise this year, with a less-than-stellar 5.56 earned run average heading into Saturday’s showdown obscuring swing-and-miss stuff. Eddy, on the other hand, has been stellar with a 3.14 ERA to go along with six wins.
Paone made quick work of the Golden Bears in the first, retiring a formidable top of the order in just six pitches. Eddy was one to match Paone’s exploits. He struck out Virginia’s first slate of hitters in order, all three swinging.
The first run of the game came in the second, when California’s sophomore outfielder Carl Schmidt snuck a ball over the right-centerfield wall just short of the scoreboard for a solo homerun. On the other side, the Cavalier lineup continued a lousy start that saw Eddy pick up two more strikeouts.
The woes continued for Virginia’s offense all the way into the fifth inning, when junior first baseman Antonio Perrotta finally got the Cavaliers in the hit column with a line drive up the middle.
Even then, Cavalier fans had scant opportunity to cheer on offense. Going into the seventh, Eddy had accrued 12 strikeouts while allowing only two hits. Luckily for Virginia, Paone was up to the task of matching the Golden Bears’ ace, and the game had turned into a pitching duel for the ages.
Paone had compiled seven punchouts of his own going into the seventh, striking out California’s triumvirate of junior catcher Hideki Prather, freshman shortstop Jett Kenady and senior first baseman Daniel Murillo one-two-three in the top of the sixth.
The Cavaliers’ breakthrough finally came in the seventh, when, taking advantage of a tiring Eddy, junior designated hitter Kyle Johnson drew a leadoff walk and got to third on a double flicked near the left field line by Perrotta.
Junior third baseman Noah Murray, hitting at an icy .167 clip on the year heading into the ballgame, strode to the plate with two outs and a chance to tie the game for Virginia. A swinging strike three in the dirt looked as though it spelled the end of the Cavaliers’ threat, but it got away behind the plate and Johnson scored, extending his body just beyond the reach of a diving Prather.
With two outs in the eighth and fresh off a walk of California’s nine-hole hitter, junior right fielder Gannon Snyder, Paone was given the hook and walked to the dugout amidst a thunderous standing ovation.
Graduate student Tyler Kapa entered the game for the Cavaliers and quickly got out of the inning unscathed, bringing up the Cavalier bats with a chance to take a late lead.
With one out, senior left fielder Harrison Didawick drew a hard-fought walk on a full count. A hard-hit shot right back at California pitcher Cade Colombara looked as though it could have the makings of a double play, but Colombara proceeded to throw the ball into center field, allowing Didawick to advance to third with just one down.
A ground ball up the middle was cleanly corralled by the third baseman Cade Campbell and thrown to second for the fielder’s choice. But the damage was done, with Didawick racing home and giving Virginia a 2-1 lead that they would hold through the top of the ninth on the back of a four-out save from Kapa.
For the Cavaliers, the win marks a welcome end to their four-game losing streak in conference play. Although their offensive struggles appear to persist, Coach Chris Pollard believes in his ballclub’s ability to persevere.
“It is whatever it takes, that’s where we are right now. It is not a Picasso, but whatever it takes to get the job done right now,” Pollard said following the game. “We will find our way to the other side of this. We are a better offensive club but, in the meantime, it is just whatever it takes to win a ballgame and we were tough today.”
The Cavaliers and Golden Bears will face off again Sunday at The Dish to decide the series. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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