Virginia got a grand slam in the second to cut into an early 5-0 deficit, then got three guys on base the rest of the way – with four 1-2-3 innings, including going down in order in the eighth and ninth, in a 7-4 loss to last-place Cal on Friday at The Dish.
The ‘Hoos (32-17, 12-13 ACC) are now 11-12 since the last week of March, and after spending a good portion of the season ranked in the Top 10 nationally, it might be time to start worrying about missing out on the NCAA Tournament outright for a second consecutive season.
Henry Zatkowski (6-1, 4.35 ERA) took his first loss of the season, though, to his credit, he rallied from having given up five runs in the first 10 batters to pitch into the seventh inning, striking out nine and walking one.
Lucas Hartman replaced Zatkowski with one out and no one on in the seventh – odd move there by first-year coach Chris Pollard – and got touched up for a pair of runs in the inning, both coming home on Daniel Murrillo’s two-out, two-strike, two-run single.
The Virginia offense went silent thereafter, managing just a two-out seventh inning single from AJ Gracia.
The approach in the eighth was a little maddening, strategically – Harrison Didawick popped up the first pitch of the inning for out #1, Sam Harris struck out on four pitches, and Jake Weatherspoon flied out to right on a 1-0 pitch, so, seven pitches for the inning.
Maybe they had a bus to catch?
Cole Clark, who got the save the hard way – three innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball – then struck out the side in the ninth on 12 pitches.
Kyle Johnson had the grand slam in the second – it was his sixth homer of the season.
That one was the lone extra-base hit for Virginia, which had seven hits on the day.
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Chris Graham
