CHARLOTTESVILLE — Stellar pitching and timely hitting were all Virginia needed Saturday night to secure a 2-1 win over East Carolina.
With the win, the Cavaliers are 2-0 in the Charlottesville Regional and will face the winner of the noon elimination game between ECU and Oklahoma at 6 p.m. Sunday. A win would send Virginia to a Super Regional for the second time in three years.
“Every tournament is different, but obviously there is an advantage being 2-0,” UVA coach Brian O’Connor said. “You only have to play a maximum of four games from a pitching-staff standpoint. We’ve made it through the regional, Super Regional and to Omaha before (after) losing one of the first two games; it’s happened before. But certainly there’s an advantage from a starting-pitcher standpoint. Glad that we’re 2-0 and get a chance to rest tonight and tomorrow and see who our opponent is tomorrow night.”
Cox High alum and Virginia Beach native Ethan Anderson continued to lift the Virginia offense when it needs a shot of momentum.
After launching a two-run home run against Army on Friday, Anderson was responsible for bringing in the go-ahead run Saturday.
The sophomore first baseman came up to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and popped a single into right field to drive the runner on third home and give Virginia a 2-1 lead.
“I knew with a runner on third, two outs, I just had to get a base hit to score the go-ahead run,” Anderson said. “… That was my biggest focus, just trying to put the ball in play. That allowed me to get to first base. Maybe I didn’t barrel the ball how I wanted to, but I stayed inside of it and it just happened to find grass.”
𝙀𝘼 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨! 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚!
Hoos take the lead!
📺 ESPN+ | #GoHoos | #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/Uf64VcjqQX
— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) June 4, 2023
So far in the regional, Anderson is 3 for 7 with four runs batted in.
Nick Parker got the start for Virginia on the mound and pitched an absolute gem.
The right-hander pitched for seven innings, only allowing five hits and one run while striking out five batters on 100 pitches. At one point, Parker retired 12 straight batters.
“It’s nice always to go deep in a game for your team,” Parker said. “I couldn’t do what I did without the defense that was played tonight. They helped me a lot. (ECU had) a lot of early contact, a lot of good ground balls. The infield played stellar, the outfield played stellar, so I wouldn’t have a chance to get that deep in the game without them.”
Parker, a graduate transfer from Coastal Carolina, faced East Carolina last year in the regional ECU hosted in Greenville, North Carolina. ECU coach Cliff Godwin said he felt Parker pitched better in last year’s matchup, but nonetheless was a worthy opponent this time around.
“He’s a Friday night starter in the ACC, so he knows how to pitch, he’s been around the block,” Godwin said. “He just never throws the pitch that you think you’re going to get in any count, and he makes it hard on us.”
Broadcast highlights from tonight’s win vs. ECU!#GoHoos | #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/PN9S10ZHZG
— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) June 4, 2023
The lone run Parker gave up came on a wacky play, the result of a miscue from Godwin and the Virginia defense.
With runners on first and second, ECU junior outfielder Ryley Johnson knocked a pinch-hit single into the outfield. Junior Carter Cunningham, the runner on second to start the play, was held at third but eventually bolted home when he saw junior Cam Clonch rounding second.
“I thought (Cunningham) was more behind me than he was probably, and I was trying to hold Clonch up from going to third,” Godwin said. “Clonch was bearing down, and I was trying to get him to stop because I didn’t want them to throw him out at third before (Cunninghma) scored, but (Cunningham) thought I was holding him up. It ended up working out for us, but that was not the way it was drawn up.”
Clonch got caught in a rundown between second and third base, prompting Cunningham to run home. Clonch was ultimately able to make it back to second safely after the base was left uncovered, and Cunningham scored without a throw to home.
Junior Jake Berry took over for Parker in the eighth and retired six straight batters for a two-inning save.
Virginia’s pitching limited an ECU offense that is hitting .292 this season to just five hits.
The Cavaliers clinched a spot in the regional final in front of a sellout crowd announced at 5,919, something O’Connor was thankful for.
“To see the atmosphere, the energy in the stadium was just awesome,” he said. “… This is why we invested the resources to expand our stadium, to have nights like tonight. Excited to see all those fans come back out tomorrow night.”
Michael Sauls, [email protected], (757) 803-5775
