Duke Drops Game Two To Virginia 10-1

Saturday, March 15

Durham, N.C.

1:00 PM

Duke University

Virginia

Blue Devils Improve To 22-0 Out Of Conference With Win Over UNC Greensboro

Duke Drops Game Two To Virginia 10-1

3/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. ? Pat McAnaney tossed a complete game four-hitter, while Franco Valdes homered and drove in four runs to lead No. 16 Virginia to a 10-1 win over Duke Saturday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field.

McAnaney (2-1) held Duke (15-3, 2-3 ACC) to just two hits and one unearned run over the first eight innings while striking out eight and walking one in the first complete game of his four-year career. The senior southpaw threw 133 pitches and retired 15 straight hitters from the second through the seventh inning while facing the minimum in all but two innings of work.

Freshman shortstop Jake Lemmerman scored Duke's only run after reaching base with a double in his first at bat. Fellow middle infielder Dennis O'Grady accounted for the lone RBI after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Catcher Matt Williams, first baseman Kyle Kreick and designated hitter Jonathan Nicolla also collected base hits, while Nicolla was the only Blue Devil to reach base twice after drawing a walk.

Williams also gunned down a pair of Cavaliers from behind the plate as the two were trying to steal second base. The junior backstop has now caught five runners attempting to steal in the last five games to bring his total to six caught stealing on the season.

After striking out in his first two at bats, Valdes rattled off three straight RBI hits for Virginia (14-3, 2-3 ACC), including a two-run double in the fourth, a home run in the seventh and an RBI single in the eighth. Freshman outfielder Dan Grovatt also homered while driving in three and scoring twice.

Duke starter Will Currier (2-2) was credited with the loss after giving up six runs (five earned) over 3.2 innings of work. The Cavaliers knocked seven of their 16 hits off of Currier, who entered the game holding opposing hitters to a .194 batting average. Relievers Kyle Butler, John Bunder and Ryan Knott finished out the game, with Butler and Bunder each contributing two innings and Knott closing out the game with a scoreless ninth.

With the win, Virginia ties the series at one game apiece. The teams will battle for the deciding third game on Sunday, March 16 at 1 p.m. at Jack Coombs Field.

Virginia jumped on top early after a two-out double by first baseman Jeremy Farrell drove in third baseman Tyler Cannon from second base. The two-base knock was the only hit of the inning, as Virginia put three runners on base after an error and a pair of walks. Currier limited further damage after striking out Valdes on a full count with the bases loaded to end the inning.

The Cavaliers put together another two-out rally in the top of the second to score three more runs on the way to a 4-0 lead. Virginia hammered five hits in the inning, including a triple by Jarrett Parker and three straight base knocks from Cannon, David Adams and Grovatt. Cannon's drive to left-center field drove in Parker for the first run of the inning, while Grovatt drove in Adams and Cannon with another base knock through the right side. Grovatt fought hard for his two-out single, seeing six of Currier's pitches while fouling off two.

Duke took back one of the runs in the bottom of the third after loading the bases thanks to a Cavalier fielding error. Lemmerman got the rally started with a double down the third base line before Nicolla joined the freshman on the base paths with an infield single to deep shortstop. Virginia shortstop Greg Miclat made a diving stop on the ground ball to keep it in the infield and hold Lemmerman at second. Miclat's play was neutralized on the next at bat, however, when Farrell fielded a ground ball at first base and opted for the double play at second, only to pull Miclat off second base with an off-target throw. The error loaded the bases with one out for the Blue Devils, which allowed Lemmerman to score after O'Grady was hit by a pitch. With the bases still loaded, McAnaney buckled down and forced Ben Condon to line out to shortstop before coming up with a hard-hit ground ball back at the mound from Blue Devil center fielder Alex Hassan to end the inning.

Condon saved a run in the top of the third after fielding a ground ball deep behind third base and making a one-hop throw all the way across the infield to first just in time to get the runner. The play came with a runner on second base who had a good chance to score had the hard-hit ground ball slipped down the line into left field.

Adams led off the next inning with a double to deep left-center field and scored on a sacrifice fly ball from Adams to give Virginia a 5-1 lead. The run was one of three in the inning for the Cavaliers, whose next two came on a two-out double by Valdes. Butler took over on the mound in the inning and surrendered the RBI double just before getting out of the jam with a groundout to Condon at third. Six of Virginia's seven runs in the first four innings came with two outs on the board.

Meanwhile, after giving up the run in the second inning, McAnaney got into a groove and retired the next 15 hitters, holding Duke hitless through the next six innings. The senior southpaw struck out six during the streak and allowed just two balls to leave the infield.

Valdes mashed a leadoff home run to start the top of the seventh for Virginia, giving the Cavaliers an 8-1 lead. The long ball came off of right-handed freshman Bunder, who took over pitching duties to start the inning. After giving up the homer, Bunder settled down and retired three of his next four to get out of the inning.

McAnaney continued cruising through the seventh and eighth, facing just six hitters over the next two innings. He issued his first walk of the game to Nicolla in the seventh, but quickly erased the mistake by rolling a ground ball up the middle. The top of the eighth included two more runs for the Cavaliers, including a solo home run by Grovatt and an RBI single from Valdes.

Knott took the mound for Duke at the start of the ninth and finally shut down the Cavalier offense by retiring the side in order. The freshman right-hander struck out Grovatt swinging to end the inning and keep his ERA at a perfect 0.00 through his three appearances.

With the series tied at 1-1, Duke and Virginia will play the deciding game on Sunday at 1 p.m. Freshman Grant Monroe (2-1) will take the mound for the Blue Devils, while Cavalier junior Andrew Carraway (2-1) will take the ball for Virginia.

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