UVA (46-16) and Florida State (47-16) face off on Sunday at the College World Series in an elimination game.
Both teams lost on Friday’s opening day on walk-offs – Virginia losing to ACC rival North Carolina, 3-2, and Florida State, which led 9-4 in the middle innings, and twice was one strike away in the ninth inning, fell to #1 seed Tennessee, 12-11.
FSU coach Link Jarrett is going with Carson Dorsey (7-4, 4.67 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 81 Ks/35 BBs in 69.1 IP) as his starter on Sunday.
Dorsey has two starts in the 2024 NCAA Tournament: going 14 innings, giving up three runs, two earned, in wins over Stetson and UConn, striking out 13, walking four, and allowing 13 hits over those two outings.
UVA coach Brian O’Connor is going with Jay Woolfolk (4-1, 5.95 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 64 Ks/37 BBs in 59.0 IP), who has two wins in NCAA Tournament action in 2024, over Mississippi State and Kansas State, in which he has pitched 14.1 innings, striking out 14, walking three, and allowing 14 hits over the two outings.
Pregame
Guys to watch: FSU
- James Tibbs III (.369 BA/1.287 OPS, 28 HRs, 94 RBIs)
- Cam Smith (.401 BA/1.177 OPS, 16 HRs, 57 RBIs)
- Jaime Ferrer (.321 BA/1.082 OPS, 20 HRs, 62 RBIs)
- Marco Dinges (.327 BA/1.019 OPS, 15 HRs, 68 RBIs)
- Max Williams (.302 BA/.949 OPS, 13 HRs, 44 RBIs)
- Daniel Cantu (.309 BA/.924 OPS, 8 HRs, 40 RBIs)
Guys to watch: UVA
- Jacob Ference (.350 BA/1.181 OPS, 17 HRs, 43 RBIs)
- Henry Godbout (.369 BA/1.118 OPS, 9 HRs, 46 RBIs)
- Harrison Didawick (.292 BA/1.060 OPS, 23 HRs, 68 RBIs)
- Henry Ford (.337 BA/1.013 OPS, 17 HRs, 69 RBIs)
- Casey Saucke (.343 BA/.989 OPS, 14 HRs, 64 RBIs)
- Ethan Anderson (.331 BA/.944 OPS, 8 HRs, 40 RBIs)
Lineup notes
O’Connor is going with Anthony Stephan (.298 BA/.875 OPS, 2 HRs, 22 RBIs) in place of Bobby Whelan (.361 BA/.915 OPS, 2 HRs, 35 RBIs) in the outfield.
The counting numbers don’t seem to suggest it, but Stephan (13 extra-base hits in 131 at bats) is more of a power bat than Whelan (13 XBH in 169 ABs).
He’ll play left, with Didawick shifting over to center.
Because Dorsey is a lefty, Luke Hanson (.292 BA/.894 OPS, 7 HRs, 37 RBIs) gets the start at third, in place of Eric Becker (.362 BA/1.137 OPS, 8 HRs, 46 RBIs).
Game Coverage
First inning
Virginia ran itself out of what could have been a big inning. Godbout, hitting second – good analytics move there, Coach – singled with one out, and then, as Saucke worked a 3-1 count in his favor, Godbout, who has six steals this season, which is to say, he’s not going to steal second, got picked off.
Saucke then singled to left-center.
Would have been first and third and one down.
Instead, it wasn’t.
Mid-1: no score.
Woolfolk set the side down in order in the FSU first, getting two strikeouts, hitting 94 mph on the gun with consistency, and getting Tibbs to fly out to center to end it.
End 1: no score.
Second inning
Didawick blasted a one-out double to the gap in left-center, but Anderson popped up a 1-0 pitch to second, and Stephan grounded to short to end it.
Mid-2: no score.
Good thing we had Didawick, who’s 6’4″, in center. Cantu hit a fly ball to center that carried like a mother, and Didawick robbed him of a homer.
End 2: no score.
Third inning
Dorsey is settling in after giving up two hits in the first. Another 1-2-3 inning in the UVA third.
Dorsey through three: 33 pitches.
Mid-3: no score.
Woolfolk pitched himself into two-out trouble, and paid for it.
Williams dropped a sinking liner into left for a base hit, then Woolfolk lost Smith after getting ahead 1-2, walking him to load the bases.
Tibbs was up next, and he walked on a 3-1 pitch to force in a run.
Woolfolk did get Dinges to ground out to second to end the inning.
End 3: FSU 1, UVA 0
Fourth inning
Dorsey has now set down eight straight.
Mid-4: FSU 1, UVA 0
Ferrer launched the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth halfway up the stands in left, and now Woolfolk is being looked at by the trainer.
The knee.
He’s staying in, but …
Woolfolk got Cantu to fly out to center, then walked Alex Lodise. O’Connor and the trainer visited for a second time, and the decision was made to go to the pen.
Enter Joe Savino, the presumptive Tuesday starter.
There’s no Tuesday, of course, without a win today.
The wheels have officially come off.
Savino got Drew Faurot to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end it.
Need the bats to wake off.
End 4: FSU 2, UVA 0
Fifth inning
Hanson, with runners on first and second and one out, flew out to short center, then O’Ferrall, on the first pitch, lined out to short.
It feels like it’s 10-0 FSU. A hit there to halve the lead would have changed things.
Mid-5: FSU 2, UVA 0
The bottom half of the fifth broke open when Saucke misplayed a sinking liner from Smith into being a double. Savino intentionally walked Tibbs, then gave up a 2-2 RBI single to Dinges that made it 3-0.
Ferrer followed with a three-run shot into the bullpen in left.
It’s 6-0, and the probability on me needing to book my flight home is now in the upper 90s.
Coincidentally, the probability on me needing to do laundry is in the low single digits.
Sixth inning
Didawick struck out on a 2-2 out-of-the-zone slider with two on to end a decently promising threat.
UVA is 0-for-6 today with runners on base.
Mid-6: FSU 6, UVA 0
Lodise took the first pitch from Savino in the sixth into the seats in left. O’Connor is out to get Savino, in favor of lefty setup man Angelo Tonas.
Line on Savino: five runs on four hits and a walk in an inning and two-thirds.
The pitching bubble that had propped this team up with the bats going silent has burst.
No further damage, except to our collective psyche.
The search for flights home begins.
End 6: FSU 7, UVA 0
Seventh inning
Virginia gets on the board on a two-out RBI single from Godbout to make it 7-1 FSU. Saucke followed with another RBI single to get it to 7-2.
Ford struck out to end it.
Stretch time: FSU 7, UVA 2
Tonas set FSU down in order in the bottom of the seventh.
End 7: FSU 7, UVA 2
Eighth inning
Ference leads off with a sharp single to left, and that’s the day for Dorsey.
He was at 103 pitches through seven, so Jarrett was trying to get him to eat another inning, with Tuesday looming.
In for FSU is lefty Brennen Oxford (2-1, 6 saves, 3.44 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 65Ks/26 BBS in 52.1 IP).
A two-out RBI double from Stephan gets the game to slam range.
Mid-8: FSU 7, UVA 3
In for Virginia: Matt Augustin (2-0, 4.28 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 25Ks/13 BBs in 27.1 IP).
Augustin gets FSU in order.
Three more outs to play with, within slam range, down 7-3 going into the ninth.
Ninth inning
Godbout worked a one-out walk, then Saucke lined to short, and Godbout, for the second time today, made an out on the bases, getting caught well off first to get doubled up.
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Chris Graham
