The Stakes: An NCAA bid for Tech baseball?
It’s possible, but there’s a big if facing the Virginia Tech baseball program this weekend, in the form of a three-game series at North Carolina.
If … Virginia Tech (34-18, 11-16 ACC) can steal a series win in Chapel Hill, not only are the Hokies golden for a spot in next week’s ACC Tournament, but they might just be in line to punch a ticket to the NCAAs.
The other side of the if … if UNC (39-13, 19-8 ACC) holds serve and sweeps Tech, the Hokies might face the prospect of not even making the ACC Tournament, which would deal a body blow to the squad’s hopes of playing in the NCAA Tourney. Read more
#1 UVa. falls in 13: SC ends Cavs run in CWS
Virginia had the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the 13th inning. South Carolina was the team dogpiling in the bottom of the inning.
Adam Matthews ran home from third after the second of two throwing errors by UVa. relief pitcher Cody Winiarski, and South Carolina advanced to the College World Series finals with a 3-2 win over the top-seeded Cavs.
Virginia (56-12) had loaded the bases with one out in the 12th before centerfielder Shane Halley, in as a defensive replacement and with one hit all season, hit into a double play on a 2-0 pitch by SC closer Matt Price (7-3).
Price somehow wiggled out of another bases-loaded jam in the 13th, this one with no outs, striking out Super Regionals hero Chris Taylor and getting John Barr, who had three hits on the night, to line into a double play.
Winiarski (6-4) came in relief of closer Branden Kline, who threw 107 pitches in five tense innings out of the pen. Brady Thomas led off the inning with a single, and was replaced on the basepaths by Matthews. Peter Mooney bunted back to Winiarski, who had time to get Matthews at second but threw the ball into center, leaving the Gamecocks with runners at first and second with no outs.
Robert Beary followed with a bunt that Winiarski fielded. He tried to cut down Matthews again, but the throw got past third baseman Stephen Proscia, allowing Matthews to scamper home.
Virginia had ace Danny Hultzen on the mound with an early 1-0 lead, and Hultzen was dealing at the outset, posting eight strikeouts through three innings. But UVa. coach Brian O’Connor lifted Hultzen, who was suffering from un undisclosed illness.
Kyle Crockett gave up a pair of runs in relief in the fourth but settled down to keep the Cavs close. Virginia tied it in the eight when Chris Taylor reached on an error and scored an out later on an error by Mooney on a ground ball off the bat of John Hicks.
South Carolina (53-14) will face SEC rival Florida (53-17) in the best-of-three CWS final beginning Monday night.
Gamecocks knock #1 UVa. to elimination game in CWS
Fourth-seeded South Carolina scored three times in the first inning and never trailed in a 7-1 College World Series win over the Virginia baseball team Tuesday evening in front of 22,027 fans at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. The top-seeded Cavaliers will play California at 7 p.m. Thursday (ET) on ESPN2 in an elimination game. The winner of that contest will advance to face South Carolina (52-14) on Friday evening.
Virginia (55-11) tied a season low with five hits, with Chris Taylor racking up a pair of knocks as he extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 games. He is 15-for-34 (.441) in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
Will Roberts took the loss for Virginia and fell to 11-2 this season after allowing six runs (three earned), eight hits and a walk in 3.1 innings. UVa’s bullpen limited the Gamecocks to five hits and a run over the final 5.2 innings.
South Carolina reliever John Taylor (7-1) worked 4.1 shutout innings, allowing just a hit and a walk to earn the win. USC starter Colby Holmes worked 4.1 innings, giving up a run, four hits and a walk while fanning seven.
After a 68-minute rain delay to start the day, South Carolina took advantage of uncharacteristically sloppy UVa defense to score three times in the first inning. Roberts worked quickly in the inning by retiring the first two hitters on five total pitches, including striking out leadoff hitter Evan Marzilli on three straight strikes. Roberts looked to be out of the inning on eight total pitches when Christian Walker hit a 1-1 offering toward third base, but Steven Proscia bobbled the ball for an error.
With Walker on first base Jackie Bradley Jr. deposited Roberts’ first offering into the right centerfield gap for a run-scoring double. Adrian Morales hit a high chopper that bounced over Jared King’s head at first base, scoring Bradley Jr. South Carolina capped the scoring spurt when Brady Thomas doubled off the centerfield wall, plating Morales.
South Carolina added another run in the top of the third inning with two outs. Morales started the rally with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a Thomas single to centerfield. Morales came around and scored on a Peter Mooney single to right field, giving the Gamecocks the 4-0 advantage.
The Gamecocks plated two more in the top of the fourth inning, storming out to a 6-0 advantage. Jake Williams led the inning off with a triple into the right-centerfield gap. He scored when Marzilli doubled to left-centerfield on the following pitch. Scott Wingo advanced Marzilli to third on a sacrifice bunt, which spelled the end of the night for Roberts. UVa head coach Brian O’Connor went to the bullpen and brought Cody Winiarski into the game, giving Roberts his shortest start of the season at 3.1 innings. Winiarski’s first offering of the game to Walker was tagged down the left field line for a RBI double, capping the run for South Carolina.
Virginia broke through in the bottom of the fourth on a solo home run by John Hicks, his eighth of the season and the first hit of the game for the Cavaliers. UVa threatened in the bottom of the fifth inning, loading the bases with one out on a David Coleman hit, followed by a Keith Werman walk and a single by Taylor. South Carolina went to the bullpen and brought in Taylor, who induced John Barr to hit into an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play, silencing the UVa threat.
South Carolina added another run in the top of the eighth inning off UVa reliever Justin Thompson. Robert Beary walked to lead off the inning and advanced to third after back-to-back groundouts. Wingo was hit by a pitch and Walker then singled through the right side, scoring Beary and giving the Gamecocks the 7-1 lead.
VaSportsOnline.com: London-Choices to make at running back
A hundred twenty teams in I-A. Virginia was 118th in total offense in 2009. A key reason for that – the Cavs were 112th in the nation in rushing (99.1 yards a game) and 114th in yards gained per rushing attempt (2.9 yards per attempt).
Remember the old line about three yards and a cloud of dust – yeah, the ‘Hoos couldn’t muster the three yards.
Mike London has a lot to work on with the 2010 Cavs. A focal point has been reviving the running game at UVa., which has in the past featured future NFL starts in the likes of Barry Word, Terry Kirby, Tiki Barber and Thomas Jones.
Don’t get too excited just yet. The leading returning rusher from a year ago is redshirt freshman Dominique Wallace, who ran for 49 yards in three games before suffering a season-ending knee injury at Southern Miss.
Link to story on VaSportsOnline.com.
London: Choices to make at running back
A hundred twenty teams in I-A. Virginia was 118th in total offense in 2009. A key reason for that – the Cavs were 112th in the nation in rushing (99.1 yards a game) and 114th in yards gained per rushing attempt (2.9 yards per attempt).
Remember the old line about three yards and a cloud of dust – yeah, the ‘Hoos couldn’t muster the three yards.
Mike London has a lot to work on with the 2010 Cavs. A focal point has been reviving the running game at UVa., which has in the past featured future NFL starts in the likes of Barry Word, Terry Kirby, Tiki Barber and Thomas Jones.
Don’t get too excited just yet. The leading returning rusher from a year ago is redshirt freshman Dominique Wallace, who ran for 49 yards in three games before suffering a season-ending knee injury at Southern Miss. Read more
VaSportsOnline.com: Training Camp Report-UVa.
The news from Virginia football camp: UVa. is still trying to figure out its running-back situation, and how stud offensive-line recruit Morgan Moses will fit in this fall.
Chris Graham has the latest from ‘Hooville.
Link to story on VaSportsOnline.com.
Training Camp Report: UVa.
The news from Virginia football camp: UVa. is still trying to figure out its running-back situation, and how stud offensive-line recruit Morgan Moses will fit in this fall.
“He came here to play, and he will play,” coach Mike London told reporters on a conference call Wednesday morning.
It’s T-minus 17 days until the Sept. 4 season opener with Richmond. Moses, a 6-6, 350-pound true freshman, is competing for the starting left-tackle slot with sophomore Oday Aboushi.
London said Aboushi has the advantage right now in terms of experience, but even raw, Moses has impressed.
“Big Mo is reaching the point where now he’s getting lined up correctly right now. He’s been doing it just on sheer size and mass alone. It’s hard to run around a guy that big,” London said. Read more
