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March 9, 2003
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia baseball team remained undefeated at home (5-0) after recorded an 11-5 victory over the visiting Charlotte 49ers in a three-game, non-conference series on Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium. Virginia also recorded a pair of 3-2 decisions on Friday and Saturday against the 49ers. The Cavaliers pounded out 18 hits and scored its 11 runs in bunches after posting four runs in the first inning, four more runs in the fifth inning and three more runs in the sixth inning en route to a six-run victory.
Virginia jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when four Cavaliers recorded hits and each player came around to score a run. The trio of Matt Street, Matt Dunn and Mark Reynolds started the inning off with three consecutive hits, with Street and Reynolds both hitting doubles. Ryan Zimmerman also posted a hit and scored a run in the inning. Reynolds, Zimmerman and Chris Sweet each tallied an RBI in the inning. UVa was also aided by two balks by the 49ers’ pitcher Matt Savage, including one that allowed a run to score.
Charlotte scored its first run of the game in the top of the second inning and made the score 4-1 when Thomas Bowker hit an RBI-single to left field that drove in Brian Scafe, who singled to reach base. The 49ers added another run in the top of the third inning when George Sandel singled before he scored a run three batters later on an RBI-single by Randall Poplin to make it a 4-2 contest.
Charlotte cut Virginia’s lead to 4-3 in the top of the fourth inning when Scafe hit a solo home run to center field to pull the 49ers within one run. But UVa answered right back in the bottom of the fifth inning with four more runs to take an 8-3 lead. The Cavaliers’ trio of Tom Hagan, Chris Sweet and Scott Headd all singled and scored a run. UVa’s Street doubled to drive in two of the four Virginia runs with an RBI-double down the left field line.
The 49ers added a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning when Jamie Rusco and Thomas Bowker each singled and scored after an RBI, sacrifice fly by Sandel prior to an RBI-single by Adam Floyd to make the score 8-5.
However, UVa extended its lead to 11-5 in the bottom of the sixth inning that started when Reynolds blasted a solo home run (his first of the season) over the “Blue Monster” in deep center field to make it 9-5. Reynolds’ home run was the first home run to ever clear the wall at Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium in the short history of the new ballpark. The Cavaliers added a pair of runs on back-to-back RBI-doubles by Sweet and Headd to give Virginia a six-run advantage.
UVa’s Matt Avery (1-1) picked up the win after going 3.1 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits with three strikeouts. The 49ers’ Matt Savage was dealt the loss after surrendering seven runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts through 4.1 innings.
With the victory, Virginia’s record improves to 7-5 overall, while the loss drops Charlotte’s record to 4-7 on the season. UVa won the three-game series three games to none over the 49ers.
The Cavaliers will return to home action on March 11-12 when Virginia hosts the UNC-Greensboro Spartans in a two-game, non-conference series. Both contests will begin at 3:00 and will be played on Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Field.
— UVa —