Typically, committing three errors and using eight pitchers is not a winning strategy. Yet, somehow, Virginia did just that and defeated James Madison comfortably — earning a much-needed 12-6 win at Disharoon Park Wednesday night.
The circumstances Wednesday were not typical — the Cavaliers (22-15, 9-9 ACC) were coming off of a dominant 13-1 win against George Washington that only required three pitchers through seven innings, preserving the bullpen. Still, with a critical road series versus No. 24 Georgia Tech on the horizon, Coach Brian O’Connor decided to implement innovative solutions to preserve his best pitchers for the series.
Immediately, O’Connor demonstrated those innovative solutions, choosing junior pitcher Chris Arroyo to start the game. Arroyo is a two-way player whose primary value is derived at the plate, so giving him the start signalled O’Connor’s desire to squeak past the Dukes (13-28, 6-12 Sun Belt) in Wednesday’s game.
To his credit, Arroyo worked three innings for Virginia, allowing three runs — two of them were unearned, however, a product of shoddy defensive play that included two errors in the second inning and another in the third. Arroyo was handed an early exit in favor of junior pitcher Ryan Osinski, the first of three Cavalier pitchers that would only record one out in the game.
Although Arroyo’s start was rocky, it played a critical role in preserving the rest of the pitching staff. Arroyo understood his role, acknowledging it postgame.
“It was just trying to help my team win,” Arroyo said. “I gotta be ready, and when the team needs me most I’ll be there.”
Luckily for Virginia, the offense gave James Madison very little chance to capitalize on the pitching turnover. The Cavaliers posted a run in the first and third innings, bookending a huge five-run second frame that put them up 7-3 early.
That second inning was kickstarted by freshman infielder Chone James, who tripled to open the inning and was driven in by freshman outfielder James Nunnallee. The former got the start in left field, another indication that his production for a struggling Virginia offense throughout the season is paying dividends. James capitalized once again, going 2-for-3 with a triple and a double.
“He’s done a nice job every time we’ve given him opportunities,” O’Connor said. “He has consistently produced, and you can see why we feel like Chone James is going to be a really good player in our program and is right now.”
The floodgates opened after Nunnallee’s RBI single with two home runs, both two-run blasts — the first by junior infielder Luke Hanson and the second, fittingly, by Arroyo, who also walked and singled in the game.
After that offensive explosion, the Cavaliers cycled through the bullpen for the rest of the game, with some hurlers performing better than others — however, none allowed more than a run, preventing the Dukes from closing the gap. Perhaps the most notable appearance was that of freshman pitcher Tomas Valincius, who typically starts critical games but entered in the sixth inning with two runners on base and no outs. Valincius managed to escape while only allowing one run.
The Virginia offense continued to punish the James Madison’s pitchers, recording three runs in the fifth inning on three consecutive RBI singles and scoring a run in the sixth and seventh innings. The pitchers did their jobs, limiting the Dukes to one-run frames in the sixth and eighth innings and slamming the door on a six-run victory. Valincius was the winning pitcher of record.
“I thought our guys came ready to play again tonight and played with a lot of enthusiasm,” O’Connor said. “Collectively, it was a really good offensive night — there were a lot of guys throughout the lineup that stepped up and did some really good things.”
Two double-digit scoring efforts Tuesday and Wednesday give Virginia momentum heading into a tough road series against No. 24 Georgia Tech. With the Cavaliers’ postseason hopes hanging in the balance, a strong showing would improve their case for a spot in the NCAA Regionals. Play will begin at 6:00 p.m. Friday in Atlanta.
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