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Virginia Baseball Holds Off Virginia Tech, 7-4
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April 11, 2001
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia baseball team snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 7-4 victory over the visiting Virginia Tech Hokies this afternoon at the UVa baseball field. UVa jumped out to a 7-0 lead through seven innings and held on for the three run win.
The Cavaliers scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning when Chris Sweet (3-5, two runs, RBI) doubled to left field before Hunter Wyant (3-5, two RBI) drove him in to make it a 1-0 game on an RBI-single to center field. UVa added another run in the bottom of the third inning when Kallen McCoy (1-1, RBI, run) recorded his first collegiate hit (single) and scored his first run as a Cavalier on an RBI-single to left field by Wyant to make it a 2-0 contest.
Virginia extended its lead to 5-0 by scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Cavaliers’ Shawn McCleary (1-4, RBI, run) drove in teammate Mark Rueffert on an RBI-single to left field before McCoy scored Robert Word (1-3, run) on an RBI-single to right field. McCleary eventually scored UVa’s fifth run of the game when he came around on an RBI-single down the right field line by Sweet to make it a 5-0 Virginia lead.
The Cavaliers scored another run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Dan Street (1-3, RBI, run) scored a run on an RBI-single up the middle by Robert Newton (2-4, RBI) before UVa posted its final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning when Street hit an RBI-single to left field to score Sweet to make it a 7-0 Cavalier lead.
Virginia Tech scored four unanswered runs to close out the game, with all four runs coming in the top of the eighth inning. Trailing 7-0, the Hokies made a late rally and scored their first run of the game when Brad Bauder (1-5, RBI, run) hit an RBI-double to left field that scored Spencer Harris (1-3, run) to make it a 7-1 contest. Two batters later, Virginia Tech’s Jed English (2-4, two RBI, run) hit a two-run single up the middle to score Ryan Murphy (1-5, run) and Bauder to cut UVa’s lead to 7-3. English scored the Hokies final run of the game on a wild pitch to make it a 7-4 contest. However, that would be all the scoring allowed by UVa as it held on for the 7-4 victory.
Virginia’s Brandon Creswell (5-2) earned his fifth win of the season after pitching 5.0 scoreless innings and allowing no runs while scattering four hits to go along with a game-high four strikeouts. UVa’s Chris Marinak pitched 1.1 scoreless innings and allowed no runs on one hit with two strikeouts to earn his second save of the season. Virginia Tech’s Josh Biber (0-1) was dealt the loss after giving up five runs on seven hits with one strikeout.
With the win, Virginia’s record improves to 18-18 overall, while the loss drops Virginia Tech’s record to 16-17 on the season. The Cavaliers have now won two consecutive game against the Hokies.
UVa will return to action on April 13-15 when Virginia travels to Chapel Hill, N.C. to face the North Carolina Tar Heels in a three-game ACC series. The Cavaliers will play North Carolina on Friday, April 13th at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, April 14th at 7:00 p.m. and on Sunday, April 15th at 1:30 p.m. All three games will be played at the Cary C. Boshamer Stadium on the campus of UNC.
Virginia Tech will travel to Piscataway, N.J. to face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on April 13th at noon in a doubleheader before heading to South Orange, N.J. to meet the Seton Hall Pirates in a doubleheader on April 14th at noon.
– UVa –