Cavaliers Snap Losing Streak with 5-2 Victory over Radford

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March 5, 1999

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Casey Kennedy finally got the monkey off hisback. Entering the day, the junior right hander owned a sparkling 3.86 ERA.He was also 0-3. Luck was on his side here Thursday as he allowed one runover seven innings to lead Virginia to a 5-2 victory over visiting Radford.With the win, the Cavaliers snap a five-game losing skid and improve to 5-9on the year. The Highlanders fall to 1-6.

Kennedy faced trouble in the first, yielding a run on three hits;however, an inning-ending double play got him out of the fray. UVa tied thescore in the bottom of the second when Tim LaVigne led off with a triple tocenter and then scored on a ground out by Luis Giraldo.

Virginia took the lead in the fourth with an unearned run off apair of hits and a Radford error. Giraldo had knocked in the run with asingle to center. In the seventh, the Cavaliers pushed their lead to 4-1thanks to a two-run homer to deep left-center by Jonathan Benick. It wasthe second long ball in as many games for the Cavalier sophomore.

UVa added another run in the eighth on a fielder’s choice off thebat of Julian Gonzalez. Radford scratched back with a run in the top of theninth, but left a pair of runners on to end the game. The Highlandersstranded 15 baserunners on the day, leaving at least one on in eight ofnine innings.

For Kennedy (1-3), it was his first win of the season despitepitching well in each of his previous three starts. He scattered nine hitswhile walking three and striking out three. Tommy Keiper pitched the eighthwith a walk and two strike outs. LaVigne finished the game, surrenderinghis first run of the year on two hits with a walk and a couple of whiffs.

Fabio Milano (0-2) took the loss for Radford, lasting six andtwo-thirds innings. He allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits withtwo walks and one strike out.

Seven Cavaliers collected hits with David Stone going 2-for-5 witha run scored and a double. Benick and Giraldo each drove in two runs.Highlander center fielder Bill McCarthy went 3-for-5, while Mike Lombardiand Adam McKenzie had two hits apiece.

Virginia is now 9-2-1 all-time against the Highlanders in a serieswhich dates back to 1988. This was the seventh consecutive victory for UVaagainst Radford.

The Cavaliers will wrap up their seven-game home stand with athree-game series against Rhode Island this weekend. UVa and URI will playa doubleheader Saturday at noon with a single-game series finale Sunday at1 p.m.

VIRGINIA 5, RADFORD 2

RU (1-6)    100 000 001 -  2 11  1UVa (5-9)   010 100 21x -  5  8  3

WP – Kennedy (1-3). LP – Milano (0-2). Sv – None.Milano, Speier (7), DeSalvo (8) and Gotauco, Frazier (8); Kennedy, Keiper(8), LaVigne (9) and Benick, Rueffert (9). T – 2:42. A – 119.