John Paone held Cal to two hits in 7.2 innings, and he needed to have the best start of his short college career, with the Virginia offense mustering just three hits itself in a 2-1 win on Saturday at The Dish.
Paone had only gone even five innings twice in his first 12 starts this season, and those were in back-to-back outings – March 1 at VCU, and March 7 at UNC.
In this one, he pitched like a veteran – holding Cal (26-24, 9-17 ACC, RPI: 70) to a run on two hits, striking out nine and walking one on 92 pitches, 69 of which were strikes.
Baseball scoring being what it is, he didn’t factor into the decision, because UVA (33-17, 13-13 ACC, RPI: 22) trailed most of the way, after a second inning homer from Cal’s Carl Schmidt, his ninth of the season.
Cal starter Eddy Galvin was at least as masterful as Paone on Saturday – seven innings, one run, three hits, 14 Ks, two walks, 97 pitches, 63 for strikes.
Galvin was pitching a shutout into the seventh. With one out, Kyle Johnson reached on four-pitch walk, and Antonio Perrotta sliced a 1-2 offering down the left-field line for a double that moved Johnson to third.
Noah Murray, up next, struck out on a 1-2 pitch, but strike three got away from Cal catcher Hideki Prather, allowing Johnson to score from third.
Virginia was able to get the go-ahead run across in the eighth. With one out, reliever Cade Colombara walked Harrison Didawick.
Sam Harris hit a comebacker to Colombara, who initially fumbled the ball, then uncorked a wild throw that allowed Didawick to get all the way to third.
Jake Weatherspoon hit the next pitch to third, and third baseman Cade Campbell, instead of coming home, tried to turn two to get out of the inning, but Weatherspoon, the UVA catcher, beat the relay throw to first, allowing Didawick to score.
Cal got two runners on base on a hit and a walk from Virginia closer Tyler Kapa in the ninth, but Kapa induced a groundout from Brady Errecart to end it.
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Chris Graham
