Two ninth-inning errors proved costly as the UVA baseball team lost 3-2 at Boston College Saturday afternoon in Game 2 of a three-game ACC series at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at Commander Shea Field. With the walk-off win, the Eagles (15-11, 4-8 ACC) evened the series at a game apiece, with the rubber game scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday.
Virginia (20-13, 7-7) got a terrific outing from starting pitcher Adam Haseley (So., Windermere, Fla.), who worked a career-high eight innings, giving up two earned runs, five hits and three walks while striking out six. After a slow start, Haseley found a groove and retired the final 16 batters he faced.
“Adam didn’t have a great first inning, but he didn’t let it get out of hand. He threw seven terrific innings after that,” Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor said. “It’s too bad we didn’t find a way to win this ballgame because he pitched great, but certainly we had our opportunities but we couldn’t cash in on them.”
UVA reliever Tommy Doyle (So., Vienna, Va.) took the hard-luck loss and dropped to 1-5 after allowing the unearned run in the ninth inning. BC reliever Jesse Adams (3-3) worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings to claim the win. Boston College starter Justin Dunn worked five shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk while striking out five.
UVA was limited to four hits, while Boston College finished with six, including only one over the final six innings.
BC jumped out quickly with a pair of first-inning runs. Jake Palomaki drew a leadoff walk and scored when Joe Cronin doubled off the left-field wall. After a sacrifice bunt moved Cronin to third, Donovan Casey lined a sacrifice fly to right.
Flummoxed for five innings by Dunn, Virginia broke through in the sixth inning against reliever Brian Rapp. Haseley walked and Ernie Clement (Rochester, N.Y.) reached on error to start the inning and both moved up on a wild pitch. Matt Thaiss (Jr., Jackson, N.J.) grounded to second to plate Haseley, and Clement trotted home on a double down the right-field line from Pavin Smith (So., Jupiter, Fla.).
UVA had an opportunity to take the lead in the eighth, putting runners on the corners with one out after Smith was intentionally walked, but Daniel Pinero (Jr., Toronto, Ontario) bunted back to the pitcher on a safety squeeze, and Clement was easily thrown out at the plate. Following an extended at bat, Doak Dozier (Fr., Fort Worth, Texas) struck out to end the threat.
With two outs in the ninth, BC staged the game-winning rally. Pinch hitter Chris Balogh singled to center. Pinch runner Dominic Hardaway stole second base and went to third when the throw caromed into center field. On a 3-2 pitch in the dirt, Johnny Adams struck out swinging, but the throw to first was errant, allowing Adams to reach safely and the winning run to score.
The teams conclude the series at 1 p.m. Sunday. WINA 1070-AM and 98.9-FM and VirginiaSports.com will have the radio broadcast, while live statistics also can be found on VirginiaSports.com.
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Chris Graham
