Virginia baseball pounds Duke in Game 2 of Charlottesville Super Regional, forces Game 3

For the Duke baseball team, Game 1 was about establishing itself. Game 2 was a chance to finish. Now, Game 3 is another chance for the Blue Devils to extend their season.

That’s the message Duke head coach Chris Pollard has for the Blue Devils after falling in Game 2 of the Charlottesville Super Regional against Virginia.

“It’s about the only thing we’re talking about,” he said. “These guys have responded well to that message, and I think it really resonates with them, because they do have so much care for one another.”

While the 14-4 score gave Virginia fans lots to cheer for, Duke wasn’t too fazed by the double-digit deficit. The Blue Devils put together 12 hits and left multiple runners on base throughout the game, unable to crack Cavaliers junior Connelly Early through his seven innings pitched.

With one game left to decide who moves on to Omaha for the College World Series, Duke is put in a familiar position. The last time they were here, during the regular season in April, the Blue Devils won their rubber match with Virginia to win their series, two games to one. Duke’s done it before against other ACC foes, and the super regional finale is shaping up to mirror that comeback punch.

Duke is 6-4 this season when playing in series-winning Game 3s, with wins over Virginia, Princeton, Clemson, Pitt, Boston College and, most recently, Coastal Carolina.

“That’s been this team’s hallmark all year,” Pollard said. “And I have a lot of faith in our toughness, I really do.”

But first and foremost, pitching is key. The Blue Devils struggled to close out at-bats throughout the game, particularly with two strikes, or two outs, on the board. So many of Virginia’s powerful hitters found themselves in that position and made Duke pay for it.

“When you’ve got a really good offense like that, they take advantage of it,” Pollard said.

Jake Gelof, who was just short of winning Game 1 for Virginia, was a perfect example of that, driving the ball well beyond left field for a 442-foot home run that gave him the title of single-season home run king for the Cavs with his 23rd. It was also his first postseason RBI this year.

Duke’s heavy reliance on its bullpen didn’t shake Virginia much, and continued to push the Blue Devils further into a corner until it didn’t matter what they did — the Cavaliers had gotten the win.

“Part of what we’re doing is that we’re always learning,” Pollard said. “So we’ll go back and physically take a look at some of those pitches and say, ‘Hey, that pitch is here instead of there.’ ”

But heading back on the bus, Pollard said he’s determined that his team can find a way to shrug off Saturday’s loss and focus on Sunday’s rubber-match. While on the other side, Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor said he’s enjoyed seeing his players succeed Saturday and “feels good” about what he’ll bring to the mound for the finale.

Pollard didn’t share any of his plans for a starting pitcher, just that Duke is solely focused on getting itself regrouped and prepared for what’s ahead.

“I can tell you, there’s no pity party on the bus ride back to the hotel,” Pollard said. “We will regroup quickly and we’ll come out and we’ll go for a punch tomorrow.”

There’s only nine innings separating these two teams and a trip to the College World Series. Game 3 marks the sixth time these programs face off this season, so there’s not much either team hasn’t seen yet. Neither team is willing to risk adjusting their game plan, both said they’re playing the grand finish their own way.

“We’ve worked so hard to get to this point, we know what we’re capable of in this situation,” Luke Storm said. “I think we’ll stick to who we are and see what we’ve got.”

This story was originally published June 10, 2023 at 3:16 PM.