The first three ACC teams playing in Regionals have all completed their first games of the tournament and we've had a mixed bag of results.
Carson Dorsey Shines as FSU Handles Stetson, 7-2
Max Williams led off the Florida State half of the 1st inning with a solo shot to right field and the Seminoles never looked back in a 7-2 win over a dangerous Stetson baseball team. Carson Dorsey, who had an ACC Tournament to forget last week, turned in a monster performance that saw him go 8.2 innings while only allowing one earned run and striking out 7. He was pulled after 121 pitches with one out in the 9th and bullpen ace Brennan Oxford recorded the final out without issue.
Daniel Cantu homered in the 2nd and Alex Lodise had three RBIs as Florida State was able to produce offensively with Cam Smith going 0-for and James Tibbs III being walked four times. The Seminoles will play in the winner's bracket tomorrow night against the winner of UCF and Alabama.
Virginia Quiets Henseler, Holds on Beat Penn, 4-2
The 'Hoos were able to hold the unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year Wyatt Henseler hitless with three strikeouts on a day that the explosive UVA offense lay dormant. Joe Savino made just his 8th start of the season and looked sharp from the get go. The Elon transfer retired the first nine batters he faced while striking out five of them. He ended up going 5.2 innings giving up just two earned runs while striking out eight.
Virginia got most its offense from Henry Godbout in the 2nd inning when the sophomore second baseman slammed a 2-0 pitch into the left field bleachers. Penn scratched back with two runs in the Top of the 4th, but for the most part Savino and reliever Chase Hungate were dominant. The Quakers only managed 2 baserunners outside that 4th inning and Hungate earned his first save of the year with 3.1 scoreless innings of relief.
The UVA offense squandered a few opportunities, going 2-13 with runners in scoring position and stranding 10 men on base. Virginia will face the winner of Mississippi State and St. John's tomorrow night in the winner's bracket of the Charlottesville Regional.
Duke Bats Stifled as They Fall to UConn, 4-1
UConn's Ian Cooke and Braden Quinn were able to hold a Duke offense that scored 44 runs in the ACC Tournament last week to just one run on eight hits. Wallace Clark and Zac Morris each had a pair of singles while Logan Bravo was the only Blue Devil to hit for extra bases when he doubled to left in the 4th inning.
The game was tied 1-1 in the Top of the 6th when UConn had runners on first and third with nobody out. Duke went to steady reliever Gabe Nard to limit the damage. Nard was able to strike out the next batter before a botched squeeze play resulted in another out and kept UConn off the scoreboard. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and two outs, Duke looked destined to escape the jam against .111 hitter Ryan Hyde, who was only playing because the primary catcher was sick. The senior backstop hit the first pitch to right center to drive in the two runs that would ultimately make the difference.
Duke will play the loser of Oral Roberts and Oklahoma tomorrow afternoon in the early elimination game of the Norman Regional.
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