Cavs Take Doubleheader from Seton Hall
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Feb. 28, 1998
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Junior outfielder Javier Lopez (Fairfax, Va.) went 3-for-8 with two homers and four runs batted in as the University of Virginia baseball team swept a doubleheader from Seton Hall. The Cavaliers posted a 5-4 victory in the opener, followed by a 9-2 win in the nightcap. Virginia now stands 8-1 on the season, while Seton Hall falls to 1-4.
In game one the Cavaliers jumped out to a 2-0 lead following three innings of play. Lopez hit solo home runs to right center field in both the first and third innings, giving him five homers on the season. Virginia increased the lead to 4-0 with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Senior outfielder E.J. Anderson (Mechanicsville, Va.) singled with two outs and scored on an RBI double by senior second baseman Ryan Gilleland (Forest, Va.). Sophomore first baseman Eric Snoddy (Charlottesville, Va.) followed with an RBI single to drive in Gilleland. Seton Hall cut the lead to 4-2 in the top of the sixth thanks to a two-run double by Craig Zimmerli, but the Cavaliers scored one more run in the bottom of the inning when sophomore shortstop Tim LaVigne (Virginia Beach, Va.) drew a lead off walk and eventually scored on an RBI groundout by senior outfielder Ted Kinsman (Vienna, Va.). Seton Hall added two more runs in the eighth inning, but Virginia held on to win as LaVigne pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his third save of the season. Sophomore righthander Casey Kennedy (Boca Raton, Fla.) earned the win for the Cavaliers, allowing six hits and three earned runs in 7-1/3 innings of work while striking out eight.
In the second game Seton Hall jumped out to an early 2-0, but the UVa offense got on track in the bottom of the fifth when junior outfielder Julian Gonzalez (Avon Park, Fla.) hit a grand slam home run to give the Cavaliers a 4-2 lead. Virginia would add five more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to cement the victory. Lopez had a two-run single during that inning, while Anderson added a two-run home run. Freshman lefthander Greg Withelder (Wallingford, Pa.) picked up his first collegiate victory in the game, pitching six innings and allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out six. Sophomore righthander Kevin Shrout (Murrysville, Pa.) picked up the save as he threw three scoreless innings with five strikeouts to close out the game.
The Cavaliers and the Pirates will conclude their series with a single game tomorrow, Mar. 1, at 1:00 p.m.
Virginia 5, Seton Hall 4 (Game One) R H ESeton Hall 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 - 4 6 1Virginia 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 X - 5 9 2
SHU: Matt Duignan, Mike Sturgeon (7) and Kevin Leighton; UVa: Casey Kennedy, Bradley Nuckols (8), Tim LaVigne (9) and Josh Bowling; 2B: Craig Zimmerli (SHU), Dan Hummel (SHU), Ray Navarrete (SHU), Ryan Gilleland (UVa), Josh Bowling (UVa); HR: Javier Lopez 2 (UVa). Win: Kennedy (3-0); Loss: Duignan (1-1); Save: LaVigne (3).
Virginia 9, Seton Hall 2 (Game Two) R H ESeton Hall 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 9 2Virginia 0 0 0 0 4 0 5 0 X - 9 8 1
SHU: John Probst, B.J. Benik (6) and Dan Hummel, Adam Arslanian (8); UVa: Greg Withelder, Kevin Shrout (7) and Mark Rueffert, Josh Bowling (6); 2B: Josh Bowling (UVa); 3B: Luis Giraldo (UVa); HR: E.J. Anderson (UVa), Julian Gonzalez (UVa).Win: Withelder (1-0); Loss: Probst (0-1); Save: Shrout (1).