Virginia Baseball Sweeps Bucknell in Season-Opening Doubleheader

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia baseball team began the regular season portion of its 2002 schedule by facing the Bucknell Bison in a season-opening doubleheader for both teams. Virginia, playing the new UVa Baseball Stadium, swept Bucknell in the doubleheader after posting a 10-3 victory in game one before recording a 7-5 decision in the second contest.

In game one, UVa took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back, cruising to a seven-run victory. Virginia shortstop Mark Reynolds recorded the Cavaliers’ first hit of the season when he doubled to left field on the first pitch he faced in his first at-bat in a Virginia uniform. After an RBI-single by Dan Street to make it a 1-0 game, Virginia’s Robert Word doubled down the right-field line, scoring D. Street and Reynolds to push the advantage to 3-0 after one inning of play.

After taking a 4-0 lead through four innings, UVa extended its lead to 8-0 through five innings when the Cavaliers scored four more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Virginia’s four-run fifth inning was highlighted by Robert Word‘s two-run, RBI double.

Bucknell scored its first run of the game in the top of the sixth inning when Larry Scheets scored Ben Stoll on an RBI-single to left field to make it 8-1. The Bison scored a run in the seventh and another run in the eighth inning to cut Virginia’s lead to 8-3, however, UVa posted two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning when Joe Koshansky belted a two-run home run to deep left-center field. Koshansky’s home run, the first of his career and the first of the season for the Cavaliers in the new UVa Baseball Stadium, lifted Virginia to a 10-3 victory.

Jeff Kamrath earned his first win of the season on the mound after pitching 7.0 innings. He allowed only two runs (both unearned) on two hits to go along with a game-high six strikeouts. Bucknell’s Zachery Allen pitched 4.1 innings in a losing effort after surrendering seven runs on six hits with four strikeouts.

In the second game of the doubleheader (a seven inning contest), Virginia jumped out to a 7-0 lead after five innings, highlighted by another four-run scoring burst in the fifth inning set up by Word’s two-run RBI single to right field.

Trailing by seven runs, the Bison made a late charge at the Cavaliers and scored five unanswered runs, all coming in the sixth inning highlighted by B.J. Batterson’s three-run RBI double to left-center field to pull within 7-5. However, UVa would hold on for a two-run victory behind another solid outing by the pitching staff.

Virginia’s Chris Gale earned the win by going 5.2 innings after giving up five runs on eight hits to go along with a game-high five strikeouts. The Cavaliers’ Canon Hickman picked up the save after going 1.1 scoreless innings with only one hit and two strikeouts. Bucknell’s Kevin Burns was dealt the loss after lasting 4.1 innings and surrendered seven runs (five earned) on six hits with a strikeout.

With the victory, Virginia improves to 2-0, while the loss drops Bucknell to 0-2 on the season. The Cavaliers and Bison will return to action on Sunday, February 17th when Virginia faces Bucknell in the final game of the three-game weekend series. The contest is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. and will be played at the UVa Baseball Stadium.