Saturday was yet another opportunity in a long string of chances for No. 23 Virginia to play up to expectations. Instead, the Cavaliers (12-9, 3-5 ACC) sank to their lowest point, losing 13-2 to Duke to secure their second consecutive series loss at home.
It was a uniquely negative outcome in a season that has continued to spiral out of control. By the end of the drubbing, the often-forgiving home fans at Disharoon Park had grown frustrated, frequently chirping umpires and Virginia players alike. By the time the seventh inning rolled around, the home crowd was beginning to thin.
Thanks to the mercy rule, Virginia played just seven innings in the loss as the Blue Devils (15-9, 4-4 ACC). A four-run second inning was enough to put the game out of reach, as freshman pitcher Tomas Valincius had no answer for the Duke lineup. He was the losing pitcher of record, allowing seven earned runs.
“With great velocity and letting it rip every time, that’s part of it, but you’ve gotta pitch,” Coach Brian O’Connor said. “[Valincius] didn’t execute on some pitches and they were opportunistic on it.”
Ultimately, though, it was the bats that lost the game for Virginia. In a previous season, a four-run deficit felt almost trivial. This season, though, the Cavaliers often find themselves quickly knocked out of games — runs feel scarce, and scoring four runs at any given moment feels unlikely. The Blue Devils followed up a four-run second inning with another run in the third and four more in the fifth — by then, the game might as well have been over.
Offensive stagnation continued for Virginia Saturday. The Cavaliers recorded just four hits — two of which came from one hitter, junior catcher Trey Wells. Freshman infielder Chone James, who entered the game as a pinch hitter for junior infielder Luke Hanson, recorded Virginia’s only hit with runners in scoring position — an RBI single to put the Cavaliers on the board in the fifth, cutting into a nine-run deficit.
With a depleted bullpen and a low chance of a comeback, O’Connor elected to give two Virginia pitchers chances to make their debuts. Freshman pitcher Michael Yeager took the mound first in relief of senior pitcher Dean Kampschror in the sixth inning. Yeager allowed just one run on a wild pitch, recording two walks and two outs.
Yeager came out for the seventh inning and got one out but allowed two runners to reach base, forcing O’Connor to go to the bullpen yet again — sophomore pitcher August Richie got his first appearance this season but could not limit the damage, allowing three runs to score and putting the score in mercy rule territory at 13-2 Duke. The Cavaliers couldn’t bring the deficit below 10 runs in the bottom half of the seventh, ending the game in unceremonious fashion.
The pitching undoubtedly struggled, but Valincius fought to keep his team in the game. College baseball is not forgiving for pitching staffs, and the pressure is often on the bats to power their teams to victory. O’Connor noted the offensive nature of college baseball and credited Valincius for giving Virginia a chance.
“You see this all over college baseball now, you see ten-run games and ten-run rules,” O’Connor said. “It’s a matter of how we bounce back and respond, and tomorrow is an opportunity for guys to step up and show what they’re made of.”
Anything but a solid win Sunday would represent the ultimate humiliation for the Cavaliers — a sweep at home at the hands of Duke, their bitter ACC rivals. The clock is ticking, but Virginia continues to leave the Dish each night with more questions than answers.
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