Story Links
DURHAM, N.C. Pat McAnaney (Sr., Syracuse, N.Y.) fired his first career complete game and the Virginia baseball team benefited from timely, two-out hitting in earning a 10-1 win over Duke Saturday at Jack Coombs Field.
McAnaney (2-1) gave up just an unearned run, four hits and a walk while striking out eight. After giving up a run in the second inning, McAnaney retired the next 14 hitters until allowing a seventh-inning walk.
“From the start of the game, I thought Pat was in total command,” Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor said. “He showed really great poise after a tough loss yesterday. He executed his pitches and showed poise and if you do that, you are going to have a chance to win.”
The Cavaliers posted 16 hits in the game and scored their first seven runs with two out. Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio) tied a career high with four hits, while Franco Valdes (So., Miami, Fla.) went 3-for-5 with four RBI and fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle.
Patrick Wingfield (Sr., Winchester, Va.), Jarrett Parker (Fr., Stafford, Va.) and Dan Grovatt (Fr., Tabernacle, N.J.) each had two hits for Virginia. Phil Gosselin (Fr., West Chester, Pa.) did not have a hit, but reached base four times on two walks and two hit by pitch. Duke starting pitcher Will Currier (2-2) took the loss after going 3.2 innings and allowing six runs (five earned), seven hits and three walks while striking out three.
Virginia (13-3, 2-3 ACC) grabbed the early lead with a run in the first on a Farrell RBI double to score Tyler Cannon (So., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.).
The Cavaliers scored three in the second to push the lead to 4-0. With one out, Parker tripled to right-center field and one out later, Cannon singled to left to score a run. David Adams (Jr., Margate, Fla.) followed with a single and moved to second on the throw to third. Grovatt then singled to right to score both runners and give UVa a 4-0 advantage.
Duke (15-3, 2-3 ACC) got a run back in the bottom of the second when Dennis O’Grady was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. McAnaney averted further damage and left the bases loaded by getting Ben Condon to line out and then getting a comebacker to the mound from Alex Hassan.
Virginia struck for three runs in the fourth inning. Adams hit a sacrifice fly to score Miclat to push the lead to 5-1. UVa then loaded the bases with two outs and Valdes hit a liner into the left-center gap to plate Grovatt and Farrell and give the Cavaliers a 7-1 lead.
Valdes hit an opposite-field homer to left-center in the seventh for his first home run at Virginia. The lead then swelled to 10-1 in the eighth as Grovatt hit a solo home run and Valdes ripped an RBI single to score Farrell.
The series wraps up with the rubber game at 1 p.m. Sunday.