Virginia Baseball Super Again With Win Against USC

There are at least 50 roller coasters across the state of California, but any of them would be hard-pressed to match the twists and turns of the Lake Elsinore Regional’s final game. In the end, Virginia left with the biggest thrill as a late rally led to a 14-10 win in 11 innings against Southern California.

That victory lifted UVa into the NCAA Tournament’s Super Regional round (Sweet 16) for the sixth time in the last seven years. After a season that resembled a roller coaster ride itself, to wrap up the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a game of similar drama seems fitting. Playing again in June is the reward for these resilient Hoos.

“We’re obviously very excited that we found a way to win this regional,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said. “USC has a heck of a ballclub. I’m so proud of our ballclub. It’s been noted how much our team has gone through over the course of the season. We’ve endured more than any team that I’ve coached in 12 years at Virginia, and certainly this moment is very special because of what these guys have accomplished in light of that.”

The season’s script unfolded with plenty of plot twists. Weather wrecked the early home schedule and sent UVa to neutral sites in South Carolina. Injuries crept up from beginning to end with All-Americans Joe McCarthy and Nathan Kirby the headliners there. O’Connor was ejected and suspended in the rivalry series with Virginia Tech. Late-inning collapses ruined ACC games in the regular season and the conference tourney. The team sat on the brink of missing the league tournament and the NCAA Tournament too, but pulled through with a strong surge in late April and May.

That’s how Virginia arrived at Lake Elsinore, shipped across the country as a No. 3 seed. The regional followed a similar winding path as the Cavaliers scored runs in the eighth inning of all three games to come through unscathed. Even with late-inning storylines Friday and Saturday, however, neither could compare to Sunday’s final act.

UVa pounced on USC early with four runs in the top of the first inning, only to see the lead evaporate in the bottom half of the same frame when starter Alec Bettinger was chased after just five batters. The Hoos trailed 5-4 after the marathon first inning lasted approximately 40 minutes. They tied things up with a run in the second inning, but watched the Trojans sprint ahead 9-5 in an error-plagued fourth. USC made contact on several pitches as Kevin Doherty reached his third inning of relief and the Wahoos made errors on three straight plays to make matters worse.

Still, the climb up the hill is what made the giant plunge into the Super Regional all the more exciting. Virginia chipped away with a run in the sixth inning, though in true up-and-down fashion, it left three runners stranded in that same frame. The Cavaliers tied it up at 9-9 with three more in the suddenly lucky eighth inning. Pavin Smith came through with the key hit to left field bring home three runs in that frame. They then ripped off five runs in the 11th inning to take full control, before a little bit of suspense and a final USC run resulted in the 14-10 final margin.

“This particular game, it certainly wasn’t how you would draw it up, but maybe that makes it all the more special,” O’Connor said. “Just the fact that our guys hung in there and found a way to get it done in the end. I’m as proud of this ball club as I’ve ever been and we’re looking forward to playing next weekend.”

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The Virginia bullpen slowed down USC and the Hoos rallied to win. ~ Mike Ingalls

Along the way Sunday, Doherty and fellow relievers Tommy Doyle, David Rosenberger, and Josh Sborz slammed the door on the USC offense. That quartet allowed just five hits and one earned run in 11 combined innings. In fact, the Trojans went three up and three down from the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and 10th innings.

Rosenberger handled the bulk of that time period, entering for the seventh inning before giving way to Sborz to close in the final inning. It was an impressive outing for the left-handed junior and a bit of redemption from the ACC Tournament. In his last appearance before Sunday, Rosenberger had given up two hits, two walks, and four earned runs against NC State in the ACC Tournament on May 23. He was great against USC, however, as he retired 12 straight batters.

“The job that David Rosenberger did out of our bullpen was tremendous,” O’Connor said in The Daily Progress. “He hung in there. He continued to throw strikes. We were limited with what our options were and David just continued to give us a chance to score runs. That had a lot to do with us winning that ballgame.”