Top-Ranked Cavaliers Top #5 Clemson 3-1 in Second Game of Doubleheader Saturday

March 27, 2010

Charlottesville, VA –

Franco Valdes and Kenny Swab both his solo home runs and three Cavalier pitchers combined to limit the Tigers to just one run in #1 Virginia’s 3-1 victory over #5 Clemson in the second game of a doubleheader in front of 3,012 fans at UVa Baseball Stadium on Saturday night. The Cavaliers, who won the series 2-1, improved to 20-4 overall and 7-2 in the ACC. The Tigers fell to 18-6 overall and 7-2 in ACC play.

Clemson scored a run in the first inning when Mike Freeman singled and came around to score. However, the last 11 Tigers to reach base all failed to score, as Clemson stranded nine runners on base while the Cavaliers left just three runners on base. Virginia put eight runners on base in the game. It was the same trend for the entire series, as Clemson put 45 runners on base and Virginia put 33 runners on base. Both teams scored 12 runs in the series.

Virginia starter Cody Winiarski (3-0) earned the win in 6.0 innings pitched. He worked out of several jams while allowing six hits, one run, and four walks with four strikeouts. Kevin Arico pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to record his eighth save of the season.

For the third game in a row, the Tigers received a stellar outing from their starter. Scott Weismann (3-1) allowed just six hits, three runs, and no walks with two strikeouts in 7.0 innings pitched but suffered the loss. In the three-game series, all three starting pitchers (Casey Harman, Will Lamb, Weismann) went 7.0 innings. They combined to allow just 16 hits (.211 opponents’ batting average), seven earned runs (3.00 ERA), and two walks with seven strikeouts against a team that entered the series with a batting average of .354.

The Tigers grabbed the game’s first lead in the first inning. Freeman hit a one-out single up the middle, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored two batters later on Kyle Parker’s two-out single to right-center.

Valdes tied the score in the third inning when he hit an opposite-field solo homer down the left-field line, his first long ball of the season. Danny Hultzen then hit a high flyball to shallow left field that fell in between three Tigers for a double and moved to third on Phil Gosselin’s lineout to right field. Keith Werman followed with a flyball in foul territory down the left-field line that Wilson Boyd caught. Hultzen scored on the sacrifice fly to give Virginia a 2-1 lead.

In the fifth inning, Swab led off with a solo home run to left field, his third homer of the season.

Lamb, a pinch-hitter, hit a one-out single up the middle in the ninth inning to bring the potential tying run to the plate, but Arico retired the next two batters to end the game.

Gosselin had a team-high two hits to lead the Cavaliers. Kyle Parker’s went 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead Clemson, who outhit Virginia 7-6. Boyd’s 14-game hitting streak also came to an end.

Clemson will return to action on Wednesday when it hosts Coastal Carolina at 6:30 PM.