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#15 Virginia Routs Rival Virginia Tech For 14th Consecutive Victory, 21-10
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April 21, 2004
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The #15 ranked University of Virginia baseball team scored early and often as the Cavaliers posted a season-high 21 runs en route to a decisive 21-10 victory over the visiting Virginia Tech Hokies in a non-conference game at Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium. After Virginia Tech took a brief 2-0 lead after two and a half innings of play, Virginia scored 21 of the game’s next 24 runs to cruise to its season-high 14-game winning streak.
The Hokies ended a scoreless baseball game after two innings of play by plating a pair of runs in the top of the third inning to take their first and only lead of the game at 2-0. But that’s when the Cavaliers’ bats came alive, and in the bottom half of the third inning, Virginia scored nine of its 21 runs in the side. Virginia tallied its nine runs on eight hits in the inning and batted through the line-up. Four of UVa’s nine runs came courtesy of a two-run double down the left field line by Mark Reynolds and a two-run single up the middle by Kyle Werman to give the Cavaliers a 9-2 lead.
Virginia increased its lead to 12-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning by tacking on three more run, with two of the three runs coming after Joe Koshansky connected on his team-leading 13th home run of the season by sending a two-run shot to left-center field. Virginia Tech chipped into UVa’s lead in the top of the fifth inning to make it a 12-4 contest when Sean O’Brien and Jed English provided VT with a pair of RBI in the side.
But the Cavaliers weren’t done there, and they posted yet another nine-run side and batted through the line-up again after scoring nine more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull out to a 21-4 lead. UVa plated its nine runs in the fifth inning on six hits and was highlighted by Matt Street’s grand slam to left field. Street’s home run was his first of the season. Tom Hagan also drove in a pair of runs with a two-run single through the right side.
Trailing 21-4 after six complete innings, Virginia Tech tried a late rally and did manage to score the last six runs of the game. The Hokies tacked on a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to make the score 21-6 after another pair of RBI by O’Brien and English, before cutting Virginia’s lead to 21-10 by plating four more runs in the top of the eighth inning. Three of VT’s four eighth inning runs came on a three-run RBI-double by O’Brien. But that would be as close as the Hokies would get, as the Cavaliers cruised to an 11-run victory.
Virginia’s starting pitcher Chris Gale (4-2) notched his fourth win of the season after going 5.0 innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits and struck out one batter. Virginia Tech’s Jeff Landing (3-2) suffered the loss after surrendering six runs on six hits and had one strikeout.
With the victory, Virginia’s record improves to 34-7 overall. The loss drops Virginia Tech’s record to 19-16 on the season.
Virginia will return to action on April 23-25 when the Cavaliers travel to Coral Gables, Florida to face the #4 ranked Miami Hurricanes in a three-game non-conference series. UVa is scheduled to face Miami on Friday, April 23rd at 7:00 PM, Saturday, April 24th at 7:00 PM and Sunday, April 25th at 1:00 PM. All three contests will be played at Mark Light Field.
— UVa —