This weekend's series against No. 5 Wake Forest likely left the Virginia baseball team feeling as if a win just wasn't in the cards. The Cavaliers (19-18, 7-8 ACC) fell to the Demon Deacons yesterday by a score of 9-5. That loss on a picture perfect Sunday afternoon gave Wake Forest (28-6, 11-3) the weekend sweep over the Cavaliers.
"It was a tough series, there were a few tough calls from the umpire," Virginia shortstop Mark Reynolds said. "We played good but it didn't fall our way."
Virginia coach Dennis Womack agreed with Reynolds.
"There were probably some really close calls that could have gone either way that didn't go our way this weekend," Womack said. "That's the way it goes sometimes, it's just the play of the cards."
Certainly the cards were not in the Cavaliers' favor in the top of the eighth inning yesterday. After a single by second baseman Nick Blue and an intentional walk to third baseman Jamie D'Antona, right fielder Brad Scioletti stepped to the plate with his Demon Deacons up by two. Scioletti laced a ball down the left field line. The double drove in Blue and D'Antona, giving the Deacons a 9-5 advantage that they would hold onto for the win. The double, which according to home plate umpire Phelps Prescott went over the bag at third, prompted a visit to the field by a disagreeing Womack.
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"We had a disagreement," Womack said. "I lost the disagreement. It seems to be the case for the weekend. I don't want to say that was a back-breaker but when you're playing a good team, going from 7-5 to 9-5 is a big deal."
Brian Bach and Adam Hanson pitched effectively out of the Wake Forest bullpen to preserve the lead and give the Deacons the 9-5 victory. Bach pitched 1.1 innings to get the win, and Hanson pitched 3.0 innings of shutout baseball to earn the save.
"I think that's where we got beat all weekend," Womack said. "They went to their bullpen and their bullpen's better than ours."
The Cavaliers fell behind early as centerfielder Adam Bourassa opened the game with a double and was promptly brought home by a single by Blue. The Deacons added another run in the top of the first as designated hitter Ryan Johnson doubled down the right field line, scoring Blue.
Down 3-0, Virginia began chipping away. The Cavaliers scored their first run courtesy of a double by leftfielder David Stone, scoring catcher Andrew Reisenfeld. Stone was plated later in the inning when first baseman Robert Word doubled down the right field line.
The hardest-hit ball of the afternoon came off Reynolds' bat. Reynolds blasted a three-run home run deep to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring both Matt Street and Dan Street.
"Reynolds has got some pop in his bat," Womack said. "You give him a good fastball, he's got a chance to hit the ball a long way."
"It was a 2-0 count, I was looking for a pitch to hit," Reynolds said. "I got it and took advantage of it."
The homerun, which sailed over the new Davenport Field sign atop the scoreboard, gave Virginia the 5-4 advantage.
"That was a big hit for us, but I knew the ballgame wasn't over," Womack said.
The Deacons answered back in the top of the seventh with three runs to regain the lead. RBI singles by Scioletti, Jeff Ruziecki and Ryder Mathias gave Wake Forest the 7-5 advantage.
"There were some bloop base hits that just killed us," Womack said. "They came at the absolute worst time. The balls that killed us were the ones that weren't even hit that hard."
Yesterday's loss came on the heels of close losses both Friday and Saturday evenings. Wake Forest edged the Cavaliers Friday 8-7, and Saturday by a 4-3 margin.
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