The UVA baseball team scored two runs in the eighth inning to snap a 1-1 deadlock en route to a 3-1 triumph over Duke Friday evening in the opener of a three-game series at Davenport Field. Matt Thaiss (So., Jackson, N.J.) hit the go-ahead RBI double with oneout in the eighth inning to lift Virginia (28-18, 11-14 ACC) to the victory.
“That was a great opening win for our team,” Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor said. “We just hung in there and grinded. (Duke starter) Andrew Istler is very good. He pitched well down there last year and beat us, and he pitched great again tonight. It wasn’t easy for Connor Jones. He had six walks and his command wasn’t great, but he made big pitches and that is what I was most proud of. That’s what separated him tonight from where he was five or six weeks ago. He would have some walks a few weeks ago and then give up the big hit to break it open, and he didn’t do that tonight.”
Virginia starter Connor Jones (So., Chesapeake, Va.) gave the Cavaliers seven solid innings. Despite walking six batters, Jones surrendered just one run as well as five hits while striking out eight. In his last three starts – all UVa wins – Jones has a 2.08 ERA over 21 2/3 innings and has struck out 30.
Kevin Doherty (Jr., Laytonsville, Md.) worked a scoreless eighth inning to earn the win and improve to 3-1, while Alec Bettinger (So., Woodbridge, Va.) fired a scoreless ninth inning to claim his second save.
Istler (5-4) gave up three runs (two earned), six hits and two walks in 7 1/3 innings in taking the loss for Duke (27-20, 7-17).
Both teams finished with seven hits. Pavin Smith (Fr., Jupiter, Fla.) picked up a pair of hits and an RBI, while Kenny Towns (Sr., Burke, Va.) had a single and an RBI and reached base in all four of his plate appearances. Andy Perez and Jalen Phillips each had two hits for Duke.
After sitting a 1-1 deadlock since the fourth inning, Virginia forged ahead in the eighth inning. With one out, Daniel Pinero (So., Toronto, Ontario) reached on a fielding error by first baseman Justin Bellinger. Thaiss then lined a ball just inside the first-base line and down into the right field corner, with Pinero motoring all the way around to score. Facing reliever Sarkis Ohanian, Towns was hit by a pitch, and Smith followed with a single to right to plate Thaiss.
Duke put Phillips on second base with one out in the ninth inning, but Bettinger struck Bellinger out looking before picking Phillips off second to end the game.
Virginia jumped out quickly with a first-inning run as Adam Haseley (Fr., Windermere, Fla.) hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a Pinero groundout and scored on a two-out single by Towns. Duke tied the game in the fourth as Mike Rosenfeld drew a two-out walk and scored on a double to left from Cris Perez.
The Blue Devils threatened to take the lead in the fifth inning, loading the bases with one out, but Jones struck out Max Miller before getting Peter Zyla to ground to second to end the inning.
The Saturday game is scheduled for 4 p.m., while the finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday on Mother’s Day. Video for the Saturday contest will be streamed online through a Cavaliers Live subscription at VirginiaSports.com. Live statistics (GameTracker) also can be found on VirginiaSports.com.
WINA 1070-AM will have the live local radio broadcast Saturday, while the game also will air across select stations on the Virginia Sports Radio Network, including Staunton (WTON 94.3 FM), Martinsville (WHEE 1370 AM) and Mt. Jackson (WSVG 790 AM).
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Chris Graham
