Sophomore outfielder John Barr, who had just two hits in the postseason, was a surprise starter after making just five starts over the Cavaliers’ last 17 contests.

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.

Those emotions shifted in improbable fashion as 11th-ranked Virginia mounted a 10-9 victory in a contest in which it trailed by six runs with just five outs left.

Long after the clock had struck midnight, Virginia closer Michael Schwimer hurled the 354th pitch of the game and immediately held his breath as the marathon contest with top-ranked North Carolina hung in the balance.

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.

Behind three scoreless innings of relief work from Davis, the Cavaliers mounted a rally and upended Wake Forest, 4-2, in the opening game of the weekend series.