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March 25, 2000
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After one half of an inning of play, it didn’t appear it is was going to be a “bright day” at the UVa Baseball Field for the University of Virginia baseball team. But as the sky began to clear and the sun began to shine through, Virginia rallied in comeback fashion for a dramatic 10-9 come-from-behind victory over the #22 ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Cavaliers, coming off a 4-0 shutout defeat to Wake Forest on Friday, fell behind 6-0 after the Demon Deacons finished the top half of the first inning. But the gritty Cavaliers never quit as a team, and took their first and only lead of the game when UVa’s Tim LaVigne (2-4, two RBI) tallied a game-winning hit to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give UVa a 10-9 victory.
In the beginning of the contest, Wake Forest didn’t waste any time scoring runs in the first inning, as the Demon Deacons jumped out to a commanding 6-0 lead. Chase Voshell (1-4, run) single to left field, Danny Borrell (run) walked and Corey Slavik (1-3, run) was hit by a pitch to load the bases for WFU with two outs. Dan Conway (1-4, RBI, run) walked in Wake Forest’s next at-bat to give the Demon Deacons a 1-0 lead. The next batter, Carlos Brackley (2-4, two RBI, two runs), hit a RBI-single to center field that scored Borrell and Slavik to make it a 3-0 contest. Matt Price (1-4, RBI, run) then hit a RBI-double to right field to score Conway and Brackley also scored a run after a Cavalier throwing error to give the Demon Deacons a 5-0 lead. One batter later, Ricky Mendex (2-3, two RBI, run) singled to left field and scored Price to push Wake Forest’s lead to 6-0 before ending the half of the inning.
Trailing by six runs, Virginia cut the Demon Deacons lead in half by scoring three runs of its own in the bottom of the first inning. Robbie Marvin (3-4, three runs, RBI) got the ball rolling for UVa with a single to right field. Marvin then stole second base before Jon Benick (2-4, three RBI, three runs) hit a RBI-double to right-center field to make it a 6-1 game. Two batters later, Luis Giraldo (1-4, two RBI, run) hit his second homerun of the season, a two-run shot over left-center field, to make it a 6-3 contest.
UVa pulled withing two runs of WFU in the bottom of the second inning when David Stone (1-5, two runs) reached first base on an error and then scored a run when Marvin hit a RBI-single to center field to make it a 6-4 Demon Deacon advantage.
However, Wake Forest would score three unanswered runs, one run in the third inning and two runs in the fifth inning to extend its lead to 9-4 through five innings of play. The Demon Deacons would keep their five run cushion until the bottom of the seventh inning, when UVa began its comeback run.
After Ben Himes and Grant Mayer (1-3) flied out to left and center field, respectively, Michael Floyd (1-4, run) singled to left field to keep the seventh inning alive for the Cavaliers. Stone singled to right field in UVa’s next at-bat before Marvin walked to load the base for the Orange and Blue. Wake Forest then made a pitching change, as starter Eric Schmitt was replaced by Ryan Braun to face Virginia’s Benick. Benick smacked Braun’s first pitch into center field for a RBI-single that scored Floyd and Stone to make it a 9-6 contest. The Demon Deacons then made another pitching change, replacing Braun with David Bush to face the Cavaliers’ Hunter Wyant (1-4, two RBI). Wyant then hit Bush’s first pitch to left field for a RBI-single that scored Marvin and Benick, making it a one run game at 9-8. Virginia scored all four runs in the inning on two hits off of just two pitches from WFU pitchers.
The score remained 9-8 until the bottom of the ninth inning, when LaVigne took center stage for UVa in the game. After coming in to pitch in the eighth inning and keeping the Demon Deacons quiet at the plate in their last two at-bats, LaVigne found himself at the plate with two outs and UVa runners at second (Benick) and third (Marvin) base. An out would end the game and give the Cavaliers a loss, but a hit could either tie or win the game for Virginia in their last at-bat. LaVigne eventually made contact with one of Bush’s pitches and lined a shot to Wake Forest’s left fielder Stephen Sullivan. Sullivan, who did not start the game, turned to field the ball and fell down as LaVigne’s game-winning hit flew over his head to score both Marvin and Benick, giving the Cavaliers a 10-9 victory.
LaVigne’s game-winning hit also helped him record his second victory of the season as a pitcher as he improved his record to 2-0. Bush fell to 1-1 after taking the loss.
With the victory, Virginia’s record improves to 13-13-1 overall, 2-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Wake Forest falls to 19-9 overall, 4-4 in the ACC with the loss.
The Cavaliers and Demon Deacons will return to action when they meet on Sunday, March 26th at the UVa Baseball Field to play the third game of the three-game series beginning at 1:00 p.m.
Wake Forest - 6 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 9 10 1Virginia - 3 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 10 13 4
WP- LaVigne (2-0)
LP- Bush (1-1)
Save- None.
2B: WFU 2 – Brackley, Price, UVa 1 – Benick.
3B: None.
HR: UVa 1 – Giraldo.
LOB: WFU 11, UVa 6.
DP: None.
SF: None.
SH: UVa 1 – Wyant, WFU 0.
SB: WFU 1 – Voshell, UVa 1 – Marvin.
CS: WFU 1 – Aquilante, UVa 1 – LaVigne.
E: WFU 1 – Voshell, UVa 4 – Stone (2), Marvin, LaVigne.
Attendance: 256
Time: 2:56
Note: Three game series between Wake Forest and Virginia is tied at 1-1.