#23 Virginia Makes Maryland Pay For Error Again, Pulls Out 7-6 Victory In 11 Innings
Story Links
April 17, 2004
BOWIE, Md. – They say that walks and errors will kill a team in baseball.The University of Virginia showed the Maryland Terrapins why that saying usuallyholds true as Virginia recorded a 7-6 victory over Maryland in 11 innings inthe second contest of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at PrinceGeorge’s Stadium. After UVa saw its one-time commanding 6-0 lead vanish latein the game, the Cavaliers scored the game-winning run in the 11th inning onanother costly Maryland error to seal the win. Virginia also won Fridaynight’s contest on a Terrapin error. The victory was Virginia’s 11th consecutivewin and its school-record 13th ACC win this season.
Certainly, Maryland’s mishaps weren’t the sole reason the Cavaliers were ableto claim the win. The game-winning run did score on a walk and then anerror, but Virginia did pounded out 14 hits (including two home runs) and got asolid effort from starting pitcher Matt Avery. With the victory, UVa is now 7-2in its nine, three-game series this year. The Cavaliers have won their lastthree ACC series with a record of 8-0 in the eight games played in thosecontests and have not lost a game during that stretch after sweeping Duke andClemson before taking two games from Maryland in this series.
After playing through two scoreless innings of baseball, Virginia scored thefirst run of the game when Tim Henry doubled to left field before he scored arun one batter later on a RBI-single through the right side by Matt Street inthe top of the third inning. The Cavaliers added another run in the side andstretched their lead to 2-0 when Mark Reynolds jacked a solo home run tocenter field. Reynolds’ home run was his ninth of the season. UVa connected onfour consecutive hits to plate its two runs in the inning.
Virginia doubled its lead in the top of the sixth inning and took a 4-0 leadwhen Scott Headd walked before scoring a run three batters later when Streetdrilled a bases loaded single up the middle before Kyle Werman (singled toreach base) scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Reynolds.
The Cavaliers stretched their lead to 6-0 in the top of the seventh inningand took a 5-0 lead when Joe Koshansky crushed a solo home run to right field.Koshansky’s home run was his team-leading 11th of the season. Matt Dunnfollowed Koshansky’s home run with a single to right field before advancing tosecond and then to third base on a pair of wild pitches. Dunn eventually scored arun on a RBI ground-out by Headd to give Virginia a six-run lead.
Maryland finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh inningand cut UVa’s lead to 6-1 when Brian Jarosinski connected on a solo home run toleft field. Jarosinski’s home run was his 13th of the season.
Trailing 6-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Terrapins made a laterun and made it a 6-4 ball game by plating three runs in the side. Matt Maropisdoubled to left field to lead off the side before scoring a run in Maryland’snext at-bat when Anthony Buffone poked a RBI-single through the left side.Buffone eventually scored a run himself from third base on a wild pitch byUVa’s Scott Morgenthaler. The Terrapins’ Jarosinski later singled before hescored a run on a RBI-single through the right side by Jason Maxey to pull Marylandwithin two runs at 6-4.
The Terrapins scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth inning andtied the game at 6-6 when Bobby Ryan walked before scoring on a RBI-double byMaropis before Maropis scored a run himself on a RBI-single up the middle by WillFrazier to knot the score at 6-6.
Virginia scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th inning on a Marylanderror. With a runner on second (Tom Hagan after reaching base on a walk) andtwo outs, the Cavaliers scored the game-winning run on a throwing error byTerrapins’ shortstop Dan Melvin on a ground-out situation to allow Hagan to scorea run. Melvin scooped up a grounder near second base but overthrew the firstbaseman to allow Hagan to cross the plate.
Virginia’s Canon Hickman (5-2) picked up the victory after going 2.2scoreless innings on the mound and scattered three hits to close out the game. UVa’sAvery went 7.0 innings and gave up three runs on six hits to go along withfour strikeouts in a no-decision.
The Terrapins’ Justin Hulse (1-1) took the loss after allowing one unearnedrun on two hits to go along with two strikeouts. Maryland starting pitcherSean Kane lasted 6.0 innings and gave up four runs on nine hits and struck outthree batters.
With the victory, Virginia’s record improves to 31-7 overall, 13-4 in theACC. The loss drops Maryland’s record to 16-20 overall, 2-12 in the conference.UVa’s win secures the series for the Cavaliers as they take a two games tonone lead in the series.
The Cavaliers and Terrapins will return to action on Sunday, April 18th toplay the third and final contest of the three-game ACC series. First pitch isscheduled for 1:00 PM at Prince George’s Stadium.