Packer, Virginia hold off Wake

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Virginia pitcher Matt Packer had been eager to see action in a meaningful game.

The junior was granted his wish Saturday night — and then some.

Thrust into a one-run game in the eighth inning, Packer did not disappoint as Virginia added an insurance run and held on to beat Wake Forest 8-6 to claim the season-opening series.

It marked the fifth appearance and the first save of the season for Packer, and the win improved Virginia to 11-0 overall and 2-0 in the ACC. The Cavaliers are currently tied with Georgia for the nation’s longest active win streak.

“It wasn’t really frustrating not getting to pitch a lot since we were winning, but it is nice to get out there when it is close when you are in this role,” said Packer, who logged the nation’s best ERA last year. “You always want to help your team.”

An evening after pounding Wake Forest 18-2 — and long before Packer was summoned from the bullpen — Virginia appeared headed for yet another easy victory.

In fact, the Cavaliers led 6-1 after hitting in the top of the fifth inning. But the Demon Deacons, who entered the weekend with the league’s second-best batting averaging, mounted a rally after Virginia starter Andrew Carraway had been pulled after five innings and 73 pitches.

Wake (6-3, 0-2) scored a lone run in the fifth, three more in the sixth and another in the seventh before Virginia coach Brian O’Connor went to his closer.

Luckily for O’Connor, Virginia added lone runs in the sixth and ninth innings to provide breathing room. 

Packer, perhaps rusty, made things interesting by stranding a runner at third in the eighth with back-to-back strikeouts. And he escaped a would-be jam in the ninth when catcher John Hicks nailed the lead runner at third on a double steal to close out the game.

“It is a little different in the ninth inning when it is a two-run game, because we have been playing so well and we have not really had a close game,” Packer said. “I had to make it interesting I guess.”

For the game, Virginia registered 16 hits, including a solo homer from center fielder Jarrett Parker.

More importantly, the Cavaliers showcased an ability to perform under adverse conditions on the road.

“We learned a lot about our team tonight. There is no question about that,” O’Connor said. “We showed a lot of determination, we had a lot of clutch plays and clutch hits and I am certain that this game was very big for our maturation process.

“We needed this because we did not have this in the first 10 games and it was great to see how our players would react.”

I am excited because I thought they reacted the way that I wanted them too.”

The two teams will close out the series today at 1 p.m.