No. 9 Virginia Stumbles on Friday, Rubber Match Set for Saturday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 9 Virginia Cavaliers (27-13, 11-9 ACC) fell 5-1 on Friday night (April 17) to the Clemson Tigers (25-15, 6-11 ACC) at Disharoon Park.

 

The Tiger pitching duo of Michael Sharman and Hayden Simmerson held the Virginia bats in check on Friday by allowing the Cavaliers to score one run on six hits. Clemson drove in three of its five runs via the long ball on the evening.

 

In his longest outing as a Cavalier, Kyle Johnson was dealt a no-decision after tossing five innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts. Kevin Jaxel was tagged with the loss in the contest for surrendering three runs in two innings of work.

 

Antonio Perrotta was the only Virginia batter to record multiple hits in the ballgame, while the Cavalier trio of RJ Holmes, Zach Jackson and AJ Gracia each tallied a double.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After allowing a leadoff single to open the contest, Johnson retired seven of the next eight Clemson batters he faced before surrendering the first run of the game on a Nate Savoie solo home run with two outs in the third.
• Virginia manufactured its lone run of the game in the home half of the fifth when Holmes poked a leadoff double to left field. The freshman later scored in the inning on a fielder's choice off the bat of Joe Tiroly.
• In relief of Johnson, Jaxel fanned a pair of batters in the sixth before Clemson plated three runs off the senior in the seventh on a two-run home run and an RBI single to extend its lead to 4-1.
• Clemson’s final run of the night came on a bases-loaded walk that was sandwiched around a trio of Thomas Stewart strikeouts.
• Friday night’s contest ended with three well-struck balls in the bottom of the ninth that were tracked down by Clemson’s Bryce Clavon to even the three-game series.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Virginia is now 0-5 on the season when scoring two or fewer runs.
• Thomas Stewart’s three strikeouts in the eighth are a season-high for the freshman.
• Joe Tiroly extended his team-best reached base streak to 12 games on Friday with a fielder’s choice in the third inning.

FROM COACH CHRIS POLLARD:

“He (Sharman) did a great job of speeding us up and slowing us down and much like Henry did to them last night. He is good enough that when you try to sell out to fastball, he can beat you with his off-speed and when you try to sit off-speed, it is enough fastball that he can move it up and down really well. He just kept us off time all night. As the game went on, we got in-between timing. Instead of selling out to one pitch, we are trying to cover everything and when we do that against a guy like that, you play right into what he does well.”

UP NEXT

The rubber match against Clemson is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday (April 18) at Disharoon Park. ACCNX will carry the contest that will see RHP John Paone (1-2) on the mound for Virginia, opposite of Clemson’s RHP Dane Moehler (0-0).

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• The series-opening win was Virginia’s 12th comeback win of the season.
• UVA moves to 9-1 in series openers this year and 6-0 at home.
• The Cavaliers are 23-1 when leading after seven innings.
• In his two ACC home starts this season, Henry Zatkowski has fanned 20 batters in 14 innings pitched.
• AJ Gracia’s blast in the second inning was Virginia’s 69th home run of the year, matching last season’s total in 11 fewer games.
• With his base knock in the second, Joe Tiroly extended his team-best reach base streak to 11 games.

FROM COACH CHRIS POLLARD:

“The two-out two-strike hit by RJ Holmes to extend the inning to get Gracia to the plate was the difference in that inning. Just a really competitive fight on Knaak’s out pitch, the changeup, he poked the ball into right field and gave Gracia a chance to get to the plate and do something special. It was a huge at-bat by Weatherspoon. He ambushed a cutter and I thought it was a great send by Coach Simmons, waving Sam Harris from first on that ball. It was a great jump and a great read by Sam Harris, but the story for me starts with Henry Zatkowski and the job on the mound.”  

UP NEXT

No. 9 Virginia will look to take the series on Friday (April 17) in the second of three games. The Cavaliers will start lefty Kyle Johnson (0-1) on the mound against Clemson’s Michael Sharman (4-1). Friday’s contest is slated for a 6 p.m. start on ACCNX and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 FM).