Not much to say for #9 Virginia in its 5-1 loss to Clemson Friday night at The Dish. The lineup just didn’t show up.
Michael Sharman (5-1, 2.70 ERA) was able to pitch eight innings in 100 pitches, 76 of them for strikes, giving up one run on six hits – three of those in the second inning, around a double play.
The run came on a weak grounder to first in the fifth.
Eight baserunners on the night, total.
Kevin Jaxel (4-1, 3.77 ERA) took the loss, giving up the tie-breaking homer in the seventh to Clemson catcher Nate Savoie, who had two homers on the night.
The loss has Virginia (27-13, 11-9 ACC) under .500, at 6-8, in its last 14 games, dating back to March 27.
Looking for positives: Kyle Johnson had a good start, going five innings, giving up a run on five hits, striking out six and walking three in a no-decision.
That’s two straight solid starting efforts in a row for a staff that has had trouble getting quality starts out of its rotation.
Two B bullpen guys, Thomas Stewart and Michael Yeager, put up scoreless innings in semi-leverage situations in the late innings.
In actuality, it felt like first-year UVA coach Chris Pollard was waving the white flag going to Stewart, who had two appearances on the season, in the eighth after leverage reliever Noah Yoder put two on with no out, with the score at 4-1 Clemson.
A run scored, charged to Yoder, when Stewart walked Tryston McCladdie on a 3-2 pitch that was strike three, but not called that way, but was otherwise solid – getting three Ks in his inning of work.
Yeager, who had an 11.48 ERA on the season coming in, pitched around two walks in a scoreless ninth, striking out two.
Game 3 of the series is set for a 1 p.m. Saturday first pitch.
Neither squad has announced a starting pitcher.
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Chris Graham
