A six-spot for Duke in the seventh broke open a one-run game, and the Blue Devils completed a weekend sweep of the UVA Baseball team on Sunday with a 13-6 win.
Virginia (12-10, 3-6 ACC) has now lost four in a row, the last three after coach Brian O’Connor laid down an ultimatum for his team after a lackluster midweek home loss to Richmond.
Everything that could have gone wrong this weekend, did.
Jay Woolfolk, the Friday night starter, got tagged with the 9-5 loss in Game 1, despite striking out 10 Blue Devils hitters.
Woolfolk (1-2, 4.40 ERA) was tagged for five earned runs on three hits and three walks in four and two-thirds innings in the loss.
On Saturday, Duke run-ruled the ‘Hoos in a 13-2, seven-inning win, in which starter Tomas Valincius (2-1, 5.34 ERA) was lit up for seven runs in four and a third innings, and the offense generated just four hits.
Sunday’s loss was a hybrid of the two.
Last year’s #1 starter, Evan Blanco (1-1, 5.56 ERA), pitched into the third, giving up five runs, three earned, with three hits, two walks and two hit batters.
Virginia fought back to get within a run, at 6-5, on an RBI infield single from Chris Arroyo in the sixth.
Duke broke it open in the seventh off reliever Jack O’Connor, who faced nine batters and only got one out, giving up four hits, walking three and seeing one reach on an error, while getting tagged with six runs, five of them earned.
This team was #2 in the preseason for a good reason: there was so much coming back both from the everyday lineup and the pitching staff.
People keep asking me what’s going on.
I have no idea. It’s not a lack of talent.
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Chris Graham
