Entering a three-game series with No. 6 Florida State, coach Brian O'Connor promised a thrilling set of games. Three extra-inning games and two walk-off wins later, the Virginia baseball coach delivered on his hype.
"Three extra-inning games, how often does that happen?" O'Connor asked. "It was really an electric environment all weekend long, and this is what college baseball should be."
No. 7 Virginia sent its heralded junior pitcher Danny Hultzen to the mound Friday, but through six innings, Florida State's junior ace Sean Gilmartin worked the better outing. Hultzen had allowed just two total runs all season, but surrendered three against a fearsome Seminoles lineup, as his team trailed 3-1.
Gilmartin "is one of the top pitchers in college baseball for a reason, and he had us baffled there for quite a while," O'Connor said. "Our guy Danny Hultzen showed what he's made of. He didn't have his best stuff tonight but he goes out there and gives us seven strong innings."
The Cavaliers offense finally broke through against Gilmartin in the seventh. Junior catcher John Hicks beat a play at the plate to score on junior third basemen Steven Proscia's double, and then sophomore center fielder Reed Gragnani shot a single up the middle to knot the game 3-3.
The tie lasted into extra innings, as Virginia junior Justin Thompson and Florida State senior reliever Daniel Bennett dueled through scoreless eighth, ninth and 10th frames. Hicks seemingly ended the game in the 11th, as he crushed the ball just shy of a home run for a double off the wall. The next batter did end the game, as Proscia lifted a ball just over the left fielder's glove to knock in the winning run.
"It was great - I've never had a game-winning hit in my life, so it was pretty sweet to have one against Florida State at this field and this environment," Proscia said.
Saturday gave another Cavalier a turn to get his first walk-off hit, as the team won 5-4 in extra innings.
Virginia again trailed late, facing a 4-3 deficit in the ninth, but loaded the bases with two outs for sophomore infielder Stephen Bruno. Bruno had missed the previous 15 games with a hamstring injury, but made his return to the team count, taking a hit by a pitch to walk in the tying run and send the game to extras.
"Coach O'Connor told me the past few days to be mentally prepared in case [he] called on [me], and he did in that inning," Bruno said. "Bases loaded, it was great feeling. I knew that something good was going to happen."
Bruno's RBI, followed by shutout 10th and 11th innings from sophomore closer Branden Kline, set the stage for junior infielder Jared King to provide heroics for Virginia in the 11th. King led off the frame with his first career home run - a walk-off solo-shot.
As King crossed home, his teammates greeted him with their second dog-pile in as many games.
"It's one of those indescribable things," King said of the celebration. "I've watched I don't know how many walk-off home runs, but to actually be a part of it is indescribable."
Sunday, Virginia played a third-straight day of extra innings but fell short of a third comeback.
The two squads traded blows in the early innings, and were tied 4-4 in the sixth when the Cavaliers scored three to take a 7-4 lead. Florida State, however, responded with three runs of their own. With two outs in the seventh, junior right fielder James Ramsey looped a soft shot just outside of diving senior left fielder John Barr's grasp to clear the bases and knot the score 7-7.
The game continued to unravel for the Cavaliers during the top of the eighth. Redshirt senior catcher Rafael Lopez knocked a two-run double and then ultimately scored on a balk.
Senior second baseman Keith Werman booted a tailor-made double play, allowing the fourth run of the inning to cross.
"There were a couple of balls that were mishandled on both sides that those players make those plays 99 percent of the time," O'Connor said. "There's a lot of emotion in this series, on both sides, and sometimes that gets the best of you."
As with their previous two outings, however, the Cavaliers would not fall quietly. During the bottom of the eighth, Hicks smacked a two-run homer to left field, cutting the deficit to 11-9.
Proscia reached on error to lead off the ninth, and senior catcher Kenny Swab fisted a ball into right field to give the Cavaliers runners on the corners. With one out, Florida State sophomore second basemen Devin Travis dove to stop Gragnani's scorching grounder, but threw the ball into the dug out, allowing Proscia to score. Sophomore pinch hitter Ryan Levine then grounded to second to plate Swab, tying the game at 11-11.
"I felt coming into this weekend it was going to be a matter of who gets the really big clutch hits when you have two of the better teams in the country battling it out," O'Connor said Saturday.
The Cavaliers delivered the clutch hits during the first two close contests, but Sunday, Florida State struck the decisive blow, as Lopez crushed a solo-shot in the 10th to take 12-11 lead. Virginia threatened again during the bottom of the inning, pushing the tying run to third, but Friday night's hero Proscia struck out to end the game.
Although Virginia failed in their final rally, O'Connor remained satisfied with winning the series against a formidable conference rival.
"[We had] three close, hard fought games, and fortunately we came out on the good end of two of the three," O'Connor said. "There were two really high caliber clubs, and I tip my hat to Florida State"
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