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No. 1 Virginia Baseball Splits DH with NC State
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The top-ranked Virginia baseball team split a doubleheader with North Carolina State Saturday at Davenport Field, with the Wolfpack winning the opener, 6-2, before the Cavaliers took game two, 3-1.
This marks Virginia’s first split in five doubleheaders this season; the Cavaliers had swept each of the previous four. The Cavaliers are now 39-4 this season, including a 17-3 mark in the ACC. NC State now stands 24-17, with a 9-11 record in ACC play.
Steven Proscia (Jr., Suffern, N.Y.) posted hits in both games of the doubleheader as he stretched his hitting streak to a career-long 13 games.
Pitching was the story of the day for both teams. In game one NC State handed UVa ace Danny Hultzen (Jr., Bethesda, Md.) his first loss in over a year by scoring six times (two earned) in the sixth inning, while Rob Chamra fired seven innings of two-run, four-hit baseball. In the second contest, UVa’s Tyler Wilson (Sr., Midlothian, Va.) allowed a run and six hits over 6.1 innings to out-duel Cory Mazzoni, who gave up three runs in 7.2 innings.
Game 2
UVa rebounded from its loss in the first game of the doubleheader as Wilson pitched 6.1 strong innings, and Justin Thompson (Jr., Danville, Va.) and Branden Kline (So., Frederick, Md.) combined to hold the Wolfpack down over the final 2.2 innings in a 3-1 UVa win.
Wilson (5-0) gave up an earned run, six hits and two walks while striking out seven. Thompson worked 1.2 scoreless innings before Kline blanked the Wolfpack in the ninth to earn his league-leading 12th save.
Mazzoni (3-5) pitched 7.2 innings, allowing three earned runs and seven hits while striking out four.
John Barr (Jr., Ivyland, Pa.) went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored for Virginia. Matt Bergquist recorded three hits for NC State.
Virginia posted a run in the second. With one out David Coleman (Sr., Richmond, Va.) singled to left and Kenny Swab (Sr., Kernersville, Va.) was hit by a pitch. One out later Keith Werman (Jr., Vienna, Va.) singled to center to score Coleman.
The Cavaliers added a run in the third, getting a leadoff single from Barr followed by a triple to left-center by John Hicks (Jr., Sandy Hook, Va.).
NC State shaved a run from the UVa lead in the seventh inning. Wilson departed the game with one out and runners on second and third. Thompson induced Chris Diaz to ground back to the mound, where Thompson was able to catch John Gianis in a rundown between third and home, resulting in the second out while neither runner advanced. Brett Williams followed with a single through the right side of the infield to score Matt Bergquist.
UVa countered in the eighth inning. Barr led off with a single. Pinch runner Mitchell Shifflett (Fr., Midlothian, Va.) stole second base, and Hultzen was hit by a pitch. Shifflett advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a Proscia sacrifice fly.
Game 1
NC State scored six runs in the sixth inning in taking game one of the series, 6-2, in front of 4,183 fans at Davenport Field.
Hultzen saw his national-best 17-game winning streak come to a halt as he took the loss and fell to 8-1 this year. He pitched 7.1 innings and gave up six runs (two earned), a career-high 11 hits and a walk while striking out five. Hultzen suffered his first defeat since March 5, 2010, against Wright State.
NC State starting pitcher Rob Chamra (6-0) gave up a pair of unearned runs in the first inning but locked the Cavaliers down over his final six innings to earn the win. Chamra allowed just four hits and three walks while fanning three. Chris Overman tossed two scoreless innings to wrap up the victory.
Hultzen also led the Cavaliers at the plate with a 2-for-4, two-RBI effort. UVa finished with just six hits – its second fewest of the season.
Diaz went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI for NC State, while Riggins added a pair of base hits.
Virginia took advantage of an NC State miscue to score a pair of runs in the first inning. With two out and Hicks on first, Proscia hit a slow roller to shortstop Matt Diaz, who threw low to first base for an error. Hultzen then lined a double down the right-field line, easily scoring both runners to give the Cavaliers a 2-0 edge.
The Wolfpack sent 10 batters to the plate in a six-run sixth inning, but only two runs were earned. Pratt Maynard led off with a double and one out later Riggins singled to left. Williams then grounded to first, where Jared King (Jr., Radford, Va.) booted the ball for an error, with Maynard scoring. Chris Schaeffer and Bergquist hit back-to-back RBI singles. After Gianis flied out to right, Diaz hit a two-run double, and Williams tripled in a run.
The teams play the rubber game of the series at 1 p.m. Sunday. WINA 1070-AM will have the live radio broadcast. Live streaming video as well as audio broadcasts will be available at VirginiaSports.com. Fans will need to purchase a subscription to view or listen to the games.
Sunday is Family Day – purchase four general admission tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for $36. There will be autographs, running of the bases and an Easter candy dash on the field after the game.