Andrew Abbott was in control with two outs in the sixth, but back-to-back ground-rule doubles knocked him out of the game, and South Carolina went on to a 4-3 win on Friday in the opening game of the Columbia Regional.
Things had been going in Virginia’s favor until the two-out rally. Jake Gelof and Zack Gelof each hit solo homers in the third to put the ‘Hoos up, 2-1, and a Zack Gelof RBI infield single made it 3-1 in the fourth.
Abbott walked George Callil to lead off the bottom of the sixth, then struck out Kyle Allen and got Brady Allen to fly out to center.
Will Clarke, who had homered in the first, worked the count to 3-2, then doubled to deep left, to put runners at second and third.
Josiah Sightler went the other way on an 0-1 pitch for another double, plating Callil and Clarke to knot the game at three.
Abbott got the hook at this point, after an 88-pitch outing, in favor of Kyle Whitten, who walked Brennan Milone on a 3-2 pitch, then gave up a tie-breaking single to Colin Burgess, scoring Sightler from second.
Daniel Lloyd gave up a leadoff single to Zack Gelof in the seventh, but then retired the final nine batters he faced to get the save, striking out four.
The win went to Julian Bosnic, who relieved starter Brett Kerry with one out in the third after Kerry was forced to leave with what appeared to be right shoulder tightness.
Bosnic (4-2, 2.94 ERA) gave up a run on three hits in three and two-thirds innings of work, striking out two and walking two.
Abbott’s final line, in what may be his final game in a Virginia uniform, was five and two-thirds innings of work, allowing four runs on four hits, with six strikeouts and one walk.
Virginia (29-24) will face the loser of the Friday night game in Columbia between top seed ODU and #4 seed Jacksonville.
Story by Chris Graham
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