Virginia (43-15, RPI: 11) meets up with Mississippi State (40-22, RPI: 22) on Sunday with a spot in the Super Regionals on the line for the ‘Hoos.
A Mississippi State win would force a deciding Game 7 at The Dish on Monday.
AFP editor Chris Graham will be leading our live coverage from the concourse behind home plate.
Virginia will start Jay Woolfolk (2-1, 6.85 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, 50Ks/34BBs in 44.2 IP). Mississippi State has announced Pico Kohn (1-0, 3.63 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 27Ks/10BB in 22.1 IP).
Close your eyes and imagine this one being a staff day for both sides.
Sketching out a game plan for how Brian O’Connor pitches this one …
If he can get three decent innings out of Woolfolk, that’s gold. Anything more than that, icing on the cake.
I think you save Owen Coady (1-1, 5.94 ERA) for tomorrow, just in case.
Chase Hungate (7-1, 3.94 ERA) should be able to give him two innings.
Ryan Osinski (4-1, 4.80 ERA), Blake Barker (2-1, 7.31 ERA) and Bryson Moore (2-0, 1.38 ERA) are available for an inning.
Aiden Teel (2-2, 7.38 ERA) hasn’t gone yet this weekend. Save him for the seventh or eighth.
Angelo Tonas (3-0, 3.93 ERA) threw one pitch last night. He could close it out.
That’s the scenario in a close game.
If UVA falls behind big, use the other guys, and get ready for tomorrow.
Virginia, the visiting team in this one, gets on the board first. Griff O’Ferrall doubled to lead the game off, and then Henry Ford, with two outs, lined a 2-2 fastball down the third-base line for an RBI single.
Mid-1: UVA 1, Mississippi State coming up.
Dakota Jordan hit one that landed just south of the moon – actually, off the top of The Clubhouse. David Mershon had singled with one out, so it was a two-run shot.
Woolfolk got behind in the count on Jordan, and grooved a fastball, as is his wont.
End 1: Mississippi State 2, UVA 1.
Nothing doing in the top of the second for UVA, which went down in order.
Woolfolk needs a shutdown inning here.
Mid-2: Mississippi State 2, UVA 1.
Woolfolk pitched around a two-out single, but escaped without any damage.
The weather could be getting hairy here soon. Light rain is forecast around 7:20 p.m.
End 2: Mississippi State 2, UVA 1.
A two-out throwing error opened the door for Virginia to put up two runs in its half of the third.
With two on and two out, Ford singled to shortstop. Mershon, the aforementioned shortstop, popped up on the outfield grass in short left to try to throw Ford out at first, overshot his target, and that allowed O’Ferrall to score.
One batter later, Jacob Ference hit a sharp single to left, scoring Bobby Whalen from third.
Mid-3: UVA 3, Mississippi State 2.
Quick 1-2-3 inning from Woolfolk, punctuating it with an inning-ending strikeout (looking) of Jordan.
End 3: UVA 3, Mississippi State 2.
Nothing doing for UVA in its half of the fourth: the ‘Hoos go down in order.
Credit to Kohn. He’s giving Mississippi State some good work here for a guy who was a mid-week starter.
Mid-4: UVA 3, Mississippi State 2.
Nice work by Woolfolk pitching around a leadoff double by Hunter Hines. He got the side out in order thereafter.
Woolfolk through four: two runs, four hits, no walks (!), four Ks.
End 4: UVA 3, Mississippi State 2.
Another nice inning from Kohn, who put UVA down 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth.
Chris Lemonis couldn’t have expected that.
Mid-5: UVA 3, Mississippi State 2.
Woolfolk set down Mississippi State in order in the fifth.
This is the Woolfolk that O’Connor had been hoping to get all season.
End 5: UVA 3, Mississippi State 2.
Kohn has retired 11 straight since the Ference RBI single in the third.
Mid-6: UVA 3, Mississippi State 2.
Woolfolk pitched around a leadoff single, in part by picking Mershon off at second, and then a two-out walk, to escape any damage in the sixth.
Then he left the field about as fired up as I’ve seen a pitcher.
End 6: UVA Mississippi State 2.
Stretch time here in Charlottesville. Virginia left a runner in scoring position when O’Ferrall popped up a 2-0 pitch to end the mini-threat.
Kohn has given MSU seven solid innings.
Mid-7: UVA 3, Mississippi State 2.
Woolfolk pitched around a two-out single. Seven full innings.
New pitcher for Mississippi State: Gavin Black (6.57 ERA, 1.70 WHIP).
End 7: UVA 3, Mississippi State 2.
Nothing doing for UVA in its half of the eighth.
Woolfolk back out for an eighth inning of work.
If you say you had that on your bingo card, you’re lying.
Mid-8: UVA 3, Mississippi State 2.
Jordan extended the MSU eighth with a two-out single, then on a pitch that moved the count to 3-0, Jordan, on the move, overslid the bag, and was caught stealing,
End 8: UVA 3, Mississippi State 2.
A two-run Luke Hanson single puts UVA on top, 5-2, and then an error on a bunt by O’Ferrall scores two more, and it’s 7-2.
A two-out wild pitch scored O’Ferrall from third to make it 8-2.
Another wild pitch scored Whalen from third to make it 9-2.
Woolfolk coming out to start the ninth.
Woolfolk lifted after giving up a leadoff single to Hines.
Line: 8+ innings, two runs, eight hits, seven strikeouts, one walk.
Chase Hungate closes it out. Virginia advances and will host the Super Regionals next weekend.
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