Dear Old U.Va.

Hoos Win Again, Reach the Cusp of Super Regional

Sunday, May 31 2009 by Tiki

The Hoos beat top seeded Cal-Irvine last night, 5-0, putting then a win away from reaching their first super regional. 

Freshman starter Danny Hultzen was phenomenal, going 7 1/3 of shutout innings, before ceding to the bullpen.  Hultzen did not allow a baserunner passed second, and the only inning in which he allowed 2 runners on was the second.  The Anteaters got 2 hits in the inning, but with 2 on and one out, Hultzen induced a line drive double play to Werman at 2B.  Tyler Wilson and Matt Packer finished off the shutout with 1 2/3 innings of shutout ball, although Wilson struggled.

I said yesterday that the Hoos would score some runs on Christian Bergman, and the game would hinge on Hultzen’s performance.  While I was right about this, Bergman still impressed.  He shut the Hoos down completely in the early innings, not giving up a hit until 2 outs in the 4th inning.  The Hoos, though, finally broke through in the 5th, with a couple of runs on 3 hits and two errors.  Keith Werman drove in a run with a fielder’s choice, and reached an error.  Jarrett Parker then drove in the second run with a base hit.  The Anteaters would commit 4 errors in the game, high for the season.

In the 6th, the Hoos would tack on 3 more runs, giving Hultzen some more breathing room.  Again, they were aided by an Anteater error.  Hultzen helped his cause by leading off with a base hit, and reaching second on the error.  A single from Steven Proscia drove Hultzen in.  A Tyler Cannon double followed that, and then a big 2 out 2 run single by Franco Valdez pretty much put the game out of reach. 

The Anteaters and Aztecs will play this evening, with the loser being eliminated and the winner having to win two in a row over the Hoos in order to advance.  Going for the Hoos tonight will be senior Andrew Carraway.  Whichever team the Hoos face tonight will likely be going with a patchwork pitching staff, as their 3rd starter should be in the early game.  This gives the Hoos a big advantage on the hill, and is their prize for staying in the winner’s bracket.