Both pitches obviously worked for the sophomore southpaw, as the top-ranked Cavaliers mowed down the Rams with ease, 13-0.

Valdes waited. And he waited some more. Nothing developed.

All but headed for a series-clinching victory, a costly error in the eighth inning by the Rebels opened the door for a 4-3 come-from-behind victory for Virginia in the Oxford Super Regional.

During Virginia’s meteoric rise over its past eight games, Franco Valdes has been a mainstay behind the plate.

In near flawless fashion, Virginia (46-12-1) escaped the Irvine Regional, giving coach Brian O’Connor’s program its first-ever Super Regional berth.

Second-seeded Virginia made program history Sunday night with a regional-clinching 4-1 victory over UC Irvine.

In kiss-your-sister mode, Virginia and Georgia Tech completed the final game of the three-game set with a 4-4 tie at Russ Chandler Stadium after playing nine full innings.

The pop itself was not heard beyond the players who hovered near the Buckingham County sidelines at the cozy football field in Goochland. The impact of the injury, however, has been felt this season at the University of Virginia.

After shoveling snow for two days, Virginia’s baseball team took out its aggression by plowing George Washington 17-4 on Wednesday at Davenport Field.

For the first time in a span of 256 games, a stretch dating back to 2004, Virginia’s baseball team connected on a leadoff home run.

The long balls sparked Virginia to a sweep over Bucknell in the season’s first doubleheader. After winning the opener 7-0, the Cavaliers mounted a mid-game rally to win the nightcap 6-1.

In the first 16 starts of his collegiate career, most of which came last season, Matt Packer had never managed to retire a batter in the seventh inning. That changed Thursday night at Davenport Field in what could easily have been Virginia’s most important contest to date.

Kevin McMullan wanted to force the action. Virginia’s third base coach signaled for catcher Franco Valdes to take a pitch after he raced out to a 3-1 lead in the count as the bottom half of the 11th inning started.

Franco Valdes was taken back by the encouraging words. Mired in a miserable slump at the plate and a relative unknown at the time, Virginia’s catcher heard encouragement from a smattering of fans fighting early-season chills in March at Davenport Stadium.

Franco Valdes and Jarrett Parker also chipped in, helping gift wrap the game with late-inning heroics that lifted Virginia to a 3-2 victory over Wake Forest in 11 innings at Davenport Field.