Reeling UVA drops series finale at Boston College

Boston College’s Scott Braren hit a walk-off single with two outs in the 13^th inning to lift Boston College to a 5-4 win over the Virginia baseball team Sunday at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at Commander Shea Field in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The Eagles (16-11, 5-8 ACC) took two of three games in the series from Virginia (20-14, 7-8).

Pavin Smith (So., Jupiter, Fla.) hit a three-run home run in the 10^th inning for UVA. Ernie Clement (So., Rochester, N.Y.) recorded three hits to lead the Cavaliers’ 12-hit day. The five-hour, one-minute game was the longest by time in a conference game in program history and was the third longest overall.

UVA’s seventh pitcher of the day, Chesdin Harrington (Fr., Montpelier, Va.), took the loss and dropped to 0-1 after allowing the walk-off run at the end of his 1 2/3 innings of work. BC reliever Jesse Adams (4-3) worked a perfect 13^th inning to earn the win.

The starting pitchers both were strong, continuing the trend for the weekend. Making his first start of the year, UVA’s Alec Bettinger (Jr., Woodbridge, Va.) worked five innings, allowing one run, three hits and one walk while striking out five. BC starter Mike King fired seven innings, giving up one run, seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts.

The teams dueled through four scoreless innings before Virginia scratched across a run in the fifth inning. Ryan Karstetter (Fr., State College, Pa.) led off with a double to left-center and moved to third when Cameron Simmons (Fr., Royersford, Pa.) bunted his way on base. Justin Novak (So., Tokyo, Japan) grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring Karstetter home.

Boston College came right back to tie the game in the bottom of the inning when Logan Hoggarth singled home Michael Strem.

UVA had a chance to take the lead back in the sixth after a leadoff Clement double, but he was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Donovan Casey on a close play following a Smith fly ball.

Virginia staged a one-out rally in the 10^th inning. Adam Haseley (So., Windermere, Fla.) singled to center and Clement bunted him to second. After Matt Thaiss (Jr., Jackson, N.J.) was intentionally walked, BC went to reliever Kevin Connor. Smith crushed Connor’s first pitch high over the right-field wall for a three-run home run, his fourth blast of the year, for a 4-1 lead.

BC responded in its half of the 10^th on a two-out, bases-clearing double down the left-field line from Strem off of Tyler Shambora (Jr., Venice, Fla.) on a 3-2 pitch to tie the game.

The Eagles pushed across the winning run in the 13^th with two outs when Braren lined a single to right with the bases loaded to score Johnny Adams.

Virginia returns home Tuesday for a 6 p.m. game against Longwood. UVA plays host to North Carolina next weekend in a three-game ACC series.