Virginia Sweeps Maryland In ACC Series After 5-2 Victory, Cavaliers Win Ninth Consecutive Game
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March 20, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia baseball team (17-6, 3-3 ACC) defeated the Maryland Terrapins (10-10, 3-6 ACC) by the score of 5-2 in the third and final contest of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium. Virginia starting pitcher Jeff Kamrath pitched eight shutout innings and struck out a game-high six batters while Brandon Guyer went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Cavaliers to a three-game sweep over Maryland. UVa has now won a season-high nine consecutive games and also defeated the Terrapins for the ninth consecutive time. Virginia has not lost to Maryland since the 2002 season and the Cavaliers are now 15-1 at home this year.
“This was a pivotal win for us. Any time you get a chance to sweep an ACC series at home it is huge,” said UVa head baseball coach Brian O’Connor. “It was a big win for us and we got our ACC record back to .500 (3-3). Jeff Kamrath was a real leader out there today. He pitched the best baseball that I think he has pitched all year. Kamrath was in complete control of the game. We were able to manufacture a few runs, get a hit here and there, and we scored enough runs to win the ball game.”
Virginia scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning and took an early 1-0 lead. Scott Headd began the inning by doubling down the left field line before Patrick Wingfield followed with an infield single. In UVa’s next at-bat, Mike Campagna bunted down the third base line to load the bases with no outs. Headd scored the first run of the game when Kyle Werman grounded out to second. Virginia would strike again in the bottom of the third inning and took a 2-0 lead when Ryan Zimmerman reached base on a Maryland error before scoring a run two batters later on a two-out RBI single to center field by Guyer.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Cavaliers stretched their lead to 3-0 when Sean Doolittle singled to right field before Headd drove him in for a run on a RBI ground out to shortstop. Doolittle’s run would eventually prove to be the game-winner.
For the third time in the contest, UVa led off the side with a double, this time with a double down the right field line by Matt Street in the bottom of the seventh inning. Street scored a run one batter later following an RBI-single to right field by Zimmerman to make the score 4-0 through seven innings. Virginia extended its lead to 5-0 by tacking on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Wingfield tripled to deep right-center field and scored one batter later when Campagna connected on a RBI-single to right, giving UVa a five-run advantage.
Trailing 5-0 in the top of the ninth inning, Maryland attempted to mount a comeback started the side off with a single down the right field line by Will Frazier. Two batters later, the Terps’ Chad Durakis singled and both players came around to score a run two batters later when Maryland’s Nick Jowers hit a two-run RBI double to left field making the score 5-2. But that would be all the scoring the Terrapins would muster as the Cavaliers held on for the three-run victory.
UVa’s Kamrath (4-2) allowed no runs on four hits and struck out six batters in his eight innings of action to record his fourth win of the season. Virginia’s Casey Lambert closed out the game and struck out one batter in an inning of action.
Maryland starting pitcher Ryan Moorer (0-3) took the loss after going 4.2 innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits with one strikeout.
Virginia will return to action on Wednesday, March 23rd when the Cavaliers conclude their 10-game home stand with a non-conference home game against the Richmond Spiders. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM at Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium.
— UVa —