Strike One: Awkward ACC openers
Friday was the beginning of conference play in the ACC, and there were some interesting opening games. (8) North Carolina State lost to Boston College in an afternoon game 7-0. The Eagles snapped North Carolina State’s nine-game winning streak with the shutout. Wake Forest and Virginia Tech continued the trend of upsets into the night. The Demon Deacons defeated (22) Clemson 6-4 in both teams’ conference opener. Wake Forest’s Will Craig belted two home runs and came on to pitch in the ninth, earning his third save of the season. Virginia Tech shocked (5) Miami 14-3, handing the Hurricanes their third loss of the season. The Hokies started scoring quickly when left fielder Nick Anderson hit a grand slam in the first inning. Anderson finished the day with two hits and five RBIs, and right fielder Tom Stoffel added four hits, also driving in five runs.
Strike Two: Texas tops (19) UCLA
The Longhorns had suffered a tough stretch going into Friday’s matchup against (19) UCLA, losing four of their last five games. Texas was able to get the bats going early against the Bruins in the first game of this weekend’s series, taking a 7-2 lead into the ninth inning. UCLA made things interesting, scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth. The Bruins were not able to complete the comeback, stranding the tying run on first base. Friday’s win over UCLA was the Longhorns’ first victory over a top 25 team this season.
Strike Three: Jordan Sheffield dominates…again
Vanderbilt right-handed pitcher Jordan Sheffield was phenomenal against Xavier in Friday’s 7-0 victory. Sheffield allowed just four Musketeer hitters to reach base. The first Musketeer hitter to reach base came on a walk in the sixth inning. Sheffield allowed just one hit in 7 2/3 innings, and that hit was a single by Xavier’s shortstop Andre Jernigan in the eighth inning. Sheffield finished the night with 12 strikeouts and three walks, and the Vanderbilt staff limited Xavier to just three hits in the shutout.
