UVa wins series, hopes to stay hungry

After claiming the series with a three-run win on Saturday, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor took the chance to ask his players a question.
What did they think about winning their second straight league series?
“They told me that they were happy to have won the first two games,” O’Connor recounted.
That answer, as sweet as it sounded to the skipper’s ears following a 6-3 win at sun-soaked Davenport Field, was insufficient.
Sloppy play by the Cavaliers (34-8-1, 13-7-1 ACC) to the tune of three errors and the nine runners stranded on base left O’Connor desiring more.
“I told them, ‘No, we have a chance to play our best baseball game [today] and we can sweep this series,’” O’Connor said. “It was great that we were able to win another series, but we have not played our best this weekend. That’s what is exciting.”
Beating N.C. State in a series, something UVa had not done since 2001, came to fruition after the Cavaliers’ pitching staff squashed numerous scoring threats produced by the Wolfpack (19-24, 7-16).
It started on the mound with senior Andrew Carraway, who had never upended the Wolfpack.
Carraway, who landed the win to move to 5-0 on the season, scattered six hits and three walks over 6.1 innings. He allowed all three runs, two of which were earned, and enjoyed the newfound humidity that surrounded the contest.
“I am from Georgia so I loved it,” Carraway said of the conditions. “I like it when sweat is dripping off my hat.”
O’Connor added: “I thought Andrew grinded it out today. He had two four-pitch walks. That was not typical, but what was typical was the way that he battled.
Leading 4-2 when he was pulled, Carraway watched from the dugout as N.C. State scored an opportunistic run off reliever Neal Davis.
With runners on the corners and one out N. C. State left fielder Devon Cartwright attempted to steal second and was put into a run down, but Virginia shortstop Tyler Cannon dropped a throw that would have led to an out, allowing Kyle Wilson to score without a throw.
Davis, who recorded four outs, went on to load the bases in seventh before escaping the jam.
“They had closed the gap and Neal threw very, very well,” O’Connor said.
Virginia added an insurance run in the seventh on an RBI single from Dan Grovatt and added a run-scoring triple from Cannon in the eighth.
“You like pitching [the ninth] in your ballpark up three runs there,” O’Connor said.
Virginia’s newly-appointed closer, sophomore Kevin Arico, worked a perfect ninth inning to register his fifth save.
For the game, Virginia finished with 10 hits off five N.C. State pitchers.
Starter John Lambert
(1-2) took the loss in the contest for the Wolfpack.
The two teams will close out the series today at Davenport Field at 1 p.m.