Looking at the setup going into the Virginia vs. N.C. State baseball game this weekend, one couldn't help but think of a seesaw. On one side sat Virginia's fantastic season last year, the amazing potential of the individual players on the team this year and the team's record at home -- 16-1 going into the matchup. On the other side sat the team's road record (4-8), its league record (4-6) and the fact that it had so far been swept by two ACC teams.
The balance was set, the series a decider. Could Virginia sweep N.C. State and use its home-field advantage to begin a climb up the ACC, or would the Cavaliers be swept for the third time, this time on their home turf?
As it turned out, neither scenario occurred. Still, after losing two out of three games in the series, there is no denying that, for Virginia, the balance has begun to shift.
Last weekend, the name of the game was, as usual, pitching. All three games were shutouts. Friday, Matt Avery pitched a superb game, and Virginia came out on top, 2-0. Saturday, it was the Wolfpack's Brendan Knapp who pitched a fantastic game and managed to get the shutout (6-0) win. N.C. State returned Sunday for another shutout, though not as drastic this time, and managed barely to come out ahead, 1-0.
"You don't find too many ACC series where you get three shutouts -- It was really amazing," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said. "It was really a pitchers' weekend."
Although the focus was on the pitchers, neither team was particularly on its game Sunday. The one run scored by N.C. State was the result of an error by shortstop Ryan Zimmerman, arguably the Cavaliers' best player.
"Ryan Zimmerman is just a great player and makes all the plays, and I don't know what the situation on that ball was," O'Connor said. "He makes 99 percent of the plays, and I'll never fault him."
After the one run at the top of the sixth inning, Virginia began to rally a bit and even came close to tying the game a few times. Brandon Guyer got stranded on third in the bottom of the seventh, Tim Henry also got stranded on third in the bottom of the eighth and a sacrifice hit by Scott Headd following Josh Darby's double stranded Darby on third at the bottom of the ninth.
In the end, in a game that was all about pitching, Virginia's pitching just wasn't quite there. Jeff Kamrath, who had a 2.65 ERA going into yesterday's game, is 5-2 on games pitched and has only had 18 runs during 51 innings, just wasn't on yesterday. In five innings, he gave up two hits and one run, walked six batters and hit two.
"Jeff didn't have his best stuff today, but he battled out there and still pitched great," fellow pitcher Sean Doolittle said.
Doolittle came in and closed for Kamrath after the beginning of the sixth inning. He pitched three innings with no hits, no runs and one walk.
In the end, the series was not as decisive as it could have been. Virginia lost but avoided being swept, and there are still many series games left to play.
"The great thing about this league, with expansion, is that you have thirty ball games," O'Connor said. "We're at the midway point right now. Half the league is left, and we just need to get ourselves on a stretch where we can roll out some wins."
The balance has not tipped all the way. Still, if the Cavaliers want to change their standings in the ACC, they cannot afford another series like N.C. State.
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