The Virginia baseball team brought out the brooms this weekend as it swept Boston College in a three-game series. The Cavaliers won easily Friday night, 7-3, then sneaked past the Eagles Saturday in 10 innings, 5-4, and Sunday, 8-6.
The wins come on the heels of a couple of tough weekend series against Duke and N.C. State during which the Cavaliers (19-4, 5-4 ACC) won just one of three in each set.
"This was a really big series for us," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said. "They fought us hard but it was great to see our team when we fell behind come back and battle and find a way to win the ballgame."
O'Connor's club started the holiday weekend on the right foot Friday night as Virginia used a six-run fourth inning to take a four-run lead. Despite a shaky start, junior pitcher Jacob Thompson got his third win of the season. He went six innings, gave up four hits, two earned runs and struck out seven.
Thompson, who didn't have his control early, gave up a run in both the first and second innings when the Eagles were helped by free passes. The junior from Danville, Va., however, settled in and did not give up another run for the rest of his outing.
The Cavaliers rode their Friday night momentum into Saturday afternoon, the closest game of the series. The Cavaliers and Eagles fought a back-and-forth game into 10 innings. Virginia found itself down to its final strike in the ninth inning when freshman Dan Grovatt singled in the game-tying run. In the 10th, another freshman, centerfielder Jarrett Parker, came to the Cavaliers' rescue. Parker hit home the game-winning run as Virginia took the second game of the series, 5-4.
The coaches "prepared [the freshmen] really well in the fall," Grovatt said. "We may not have the game experience that [the older players] have, but I think we're pretty prepared."
In the final game against Boston College, the Cavaliers used junior Jeremy Farrell's fifth-inning grand slam to break open a 4-4 tie.
"I thought it was just a sac fly to right field and the right fielder kept going back and it carried out," Farrell said. "It was a great win for us."
From that point on, Virginia never looked back. Though junior Andrew Carraway suffered a tough outing -- only going three innings and getting pulled after allowing four earned runs -- the Virginia relief came in and shut down Boston College. Sophomore Matt Packer threw three strong innings to get the win, and freshman Robert Morey set up senior closer Michael Schwimer for his sixth save of the year.
Just when it appeared as though the Eagles might be sneaking back in the game after cutting the lead to two in the eighth, Schwimer came in and struck out three of the four batters he faced without giving up a hit or a walk.
The sweep was crucial for the Cavaliers. Not only did it come after a couple of tough conference series but it gave Virginia a winning ACC record (5-4). The Cavaliers now take momentum into two midweek games against Virginia Commonwealth and George Washington before another big weekend series against Virginia Tech.
"We get another chance to play on Tuesday and Wednesday," O'Connor said. "We just need to continue to come out and play aggressive baseball"
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