#10 Virginia Sweeps Wake Forest In ACC Series Following 8-6 Victory
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May 15, 2004
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The #10 ranked University of Virginia baseball team put the finishing touches on its fifth Atlantic Coast Conference series sweep of the season after posting an 8-6 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium. UVa won a game for the 16th time this season when it was either tied or behind late in the game with a late-inning charge, this time by snapping a 6-6 deadlock with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Virginia closed out its ACC slate following the WFU series and now must wait to see if it will get the #1 or #2 seed in the upcoming 2004 ACC Baseball Tournament later this month in Salem, Va. on May 25-30. If Georgia Tech losses just one of its last four remaining games (one contest against Clemson, three games against Maryland), UVa will claim the #1 seed. If Georgia Tech wins out, the Cavaliers will receive the #2 seed.
Virginia’s record of 18-6 in the ACC is a school-record. UVa’s previous high for most conference wins before this year in a single season was 11 which occurred in 2003 (11-12), 1996 (11-13) and 1988 (11-10). Virginia’s 40 overall victories this year is the second most single season wins ever for the Cavaliers. UVa’s record for most overall victories came in 1996 when UVa went 44-21 for the season.
After two innings of scoreless baseball, Wake Forest took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning when Ben Ingold connected on a two-run, RBI-double to left-center field to drive in teammates Matt Miller and Matt Antonelli. But in the bottom half of the third inning, UVa countered with four runs of its own to take a 4-2 lead when Joe Koshansky (single) and Scott Headd (double) recorded a pair of two-run hits to give the Cavaliers a two-run lead.
UVa stretched its lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Tim Henry reached base on an error and eventually came around to score a run on a RBI sacrifice bunt by Matt Dunn.
Wake Forest chipped into Virginia’s lead in the top of the fifth inning when Casey Sterk sent a solo home run down the left field line to make it a 5-3 game. Two innings later in the top of the seventh inning, the Demon Deacons tied the score at 5-5 when Ingold drove in two more runs with a two-run, RBI-single to left field.
UVa regained the lead at 6-5 in the bottom of the seventh inning when Mark Reynolds led off the inning with triple off of the center field wall before scoring a run in the Cavaliers’ next at-bat on a RBI ground-out by Dunn.
The Demon Deacons battled back and tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the eighth inning. Doug Riepe singled up the middle before he was replaced by pinch runner Brian Shust. After Shust advanced to second base, he scored the game-tying run on a RBI-single up the middle by Miller to knot the score at six apiece.
But with the game tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Virginia’s Henry drove in Tom Hagan for the eventual game-winning run when his RBI-single got through the left side to give UVa a 7-6 advantage. The Cavaliers tacked on an insurance run in the side and made the score 8-6 when Reynolds reached base on a fielder’s choice that scored Paul Gillispie from third base. Gillispie also reached base on a fielder’s choice.
UVa’s Casey Lambert (4-1) picked up the win when he stepped onto the mound during a tie ball game in the top of the eighth inning. Lambert tossed 1.2 innings and allowed one hit and struck out one batter. Virginia’s Koshansky, the Cavaliers’ starting pitcher, lasted 7.0 innings and came away with a no-decision after allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits to go along with his game-high eight strikeouts.
Wake Forest’s Charlie Mellies (3-2) was dealt his second loss of the series and the season after he gave up two runs on two hits in just 0.1 of an inning of work. WFU starting pitcher Tim Morley went 7.0 innings and surrendered six runs (five earned) on eight hits to go along with four strikeouts in a no-decision.
With the victory, Virginia’s record improves to 40-11 overall, 18-6 in the ACC. The loss drops Wake Forest’s record to 17-28 overall, 4-17 in the conference. UVa won the series three games to none after winning 5-4 in 10 innings on Thursday, 11-7 on Friday before today’s 8-6 victory.
The Cavaliers will return to action on Tuesday, May 18th when UVa travels to Lynchburg, Va. to face the Liberty Flames in a non-conference game. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 PM.
— UVa —