UVA (44-15, RPI: 9) hosts Kansas State (35-24, RPI: 33) Friday in Game 1 of the 2024 Super Regionals.
Virginia will start lefty Evan Blanco (7-3, 3.57 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 86Ks/24BBs in 85.2 IP)vs. Kansas State lefty Owen Boerema (6-3, 5.07 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 105Ks/45BBs in 92.1 IP).
Blanco got a no-decision in the 5-4 walkoff win over Mississippi State in Game 2 of the Charlottesville Regional on Saturday night, giving up four runs, three earned, on eight hits in six innings of work, with seven strikeouts and no walks.
Boerema had to be lifted with one out in the fifth with a 9-1 lead in a game that turned into a 19-4 K State rout overLouisiana Tech in Game 1 of the Fayetteville Regional on Friday.
First inning
The leadoff man, Brendan Jones, officially tripled to right-center, but in reality, it was a lazy fly ball that UVA centerfielder Bobby Whalen lost in the sun.
That allowed a routine grounder by two-hole hitter Jaden Parsons to score the first run of the game for K State.
Evan Blanco retired the side in order after the misplay.
Blanco went 14 pitches in the inning.
Two singles – leadoff single by Griff O’Ferrall, a two-out single by Henry Ford – don’t lead to anything. Jacob Ference struck out swinging on a 78-mph changeup with two down.
Boerema doesn’t have what you’d call great stuff – a fastball in the 86-87 mph range – but he gets swings-and-misses with the change.
End 1: K State 1, UVA 0
Second inning
Blanco pitched around a two-out error by O’Ferrall and a walk to Danniel Rivera because Ference threw out David Bishop, who had reached on the error, trying to advance on a pitch that popped out of Ference’s glove.
Blanco’s pitch count through two: 30
Mid-2: K-State 1, UVA 0
O’Ferrall grounded out to short on a 2-0 pitch after Ethan Anderson and Luke Hanson worked back-to-back two-out walks.
Disappointing end to that rally.
End 2: K State 1, UVA 0
Third inning
Kaelen Culpepper lined a 2-1 pitch to left for a two-run double, scoring Raphael Pelletier, who singled on a 1-2 pitch to lead off the inning, and Jones, who was hit by an 0-2 pitch to put two on with nobody out.
Blanco struck out Chuck Ingram to strand Culpepper at third.
Mid-3: K State 3, UVA 0
Ference grounded into a 5-3 double play on the first pitch of his at bat, after back-to-back one-out singles by Casey Saucke and Henry Ford.
UVA has had two runners on in each of the first three innings.
End 3: K State 3, UVA 0
Fourth inning
Easy 1-2-3 inning there for Blanco, his first of the night.
He’s at 62 pitches through four.
Mid-4: K State 3, UVA 0
Harrison Didawick led off with a double to left-center, but didn’t advance.
This kid with an 87-mph fastball and a change is making the UVA offense look bad.
End 4: K State 4, UVA 0
Fifth inning
Another 1-2-3 inning for Blanco, who has really thrown just the one bad pitch, the 2-1 off-speed pitch that Culpepper doubled down the left-field line in the third.
Through five, Blanco has allowed three runs on three hits, one of the hits being the misplayed fly ball that led to the first run, with seven strikeouts, a walk and a hit batter.
Mid-5: K State 3, UVA o
UVA finally breaks through with small ball. O’Ferrall worked a leadoff walk, Whalen, on the first pitch, grounded sharply through third base for a two-base error.
That set up Saucke for a sac fly to deep right that scored O’Ferrall, and moved Whalen to third.
Then, with one out, Ford grounded out to third, scoring Whalen.
End 5: K State 3, UVA 2
Sixth inning
Ford turned a nice 3-6 double play on a one-out grounder to first to get Blanco out of the sixth.
Though six: Blanco is at 83 pitches.
Mid-6: K State 3, UVA 2
Pitching change with two on and two out in the bottom of the sixth: righthander Blake Dean (4-3, 4.48 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 63Ks/27BBs in 60.1 IP) is in to face O’Ferrall.
Godbout and Anderson each singled with one out to chase Boerema.
O’Ferrall, down in the count 0-2 at one point, battled back to 2-2, then doubled down the left-field line, just missing taking the ball out.
Close the book on Boerema: 5.2 innings, four runs, two earned, on four hits, with five Ks and three walks.
Seventh inning
Bishop took a 1-2 pitch out to right-center. Whalen initially broke in on the ball, thinking it was a can of corn, before getting on his horse to try to track it down.
Blanco got out of the rest of the inning with no further damage.
He’s probably done for the night at 102 pitches.
His line: four runs, all earned, though the one should be with an asterisk, on five hits (another asterisk), nine Ks, one walk.
Stretch time: UVA 4, K State 4
Saucke was hit by a pitch, and then with one out, Ference worked a walk. K State coach Pete Hughes is bringing a lefty in to face Didawick, Cole Wisenbaker (4-0, 2.51 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 29Ks/14BBs in 32.1 IP).
Godbout, with two outs, just hit one to the moon in left.
End 7: UVA 7, K State 4
Eighth inning
Angelo Tonas (3-0, 3.93 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 29Ks/10BBs in 34.1 IP) is in for UVA.
Tonas got K State 1-2-3, though Culpepper put a ride into one with two outs, sending Whalen to the warning track.
Mid-8: UVA 7, K State 4
A mental error by the K State infield on a one-out fly ball to deep right-center by Saucke allowed Hanson and Whalen to advance to second and third.
New pitcher for K State: James Guyette (23.82 ERA, 3.53 WHIP, only 5.2 IP).
Credit to Guyette: he struck out Ford looking.
End 8: UVA 7, K State 4
Ninth inning
Tonas got the first out, and Brian O’Connor goes to righty Matt Augustin (2-0, 4.39 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 24Ks/13BBs in 26.2 IP).
The next four due-up hitters for K State are righties.
Augustin retired the final two batters, getting Ingram to line out to deep right and then striking out Nick English with a 1-2 slider to end it.
That’s a wrap
W-Evan Blanco (8-3, 3.79 ERA). Blanco allowed four runs on five hits in seven innings of work, striking out nine and walking one.
L-Blake Dean (4-4, 4.96 ERA). Dean gave up the three-run homer to Henry Godbout, a 414-foot shot to left that broke the 4-4 tie in the seventh.
