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Virginia Gets Back To Its Winning Ways With 10-2 Victory Over Liberty
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April 5, 2005
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Virginia Cavaliers (20-9) defeated the Liberty Flames (18-9) by the score of 10-2 in a non-conference game at Liberty’s Worthington Stadium. Virginia pounded out 12 hits, including four home runs by four different players, and received solid pitching outings by the trio of Pat McAnaney, Robert Poutier and Josh Myers to claim its 20th win of the year. The contest was UVa’s next to last regular season non-conference road game of the season.
“Today was a great offensive day for us with four players hitting home runs,” said UVa head baseball coach Brian O’Connor. “Pat McAnaney pitched great again. He went six innings and pitched great for us in the middle of the week. This was a key win for our team after a tough road series at North Carolina last weekend and going into this weekend’s series against N.C. State.”
Liberty plated a pair of runs and jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. After back-to-back singles by Aaron Grijalva and Phillip Laurent, the Flames’ P.K. Keller drove both base runners in with an RBI-single up the middle. But that would be all the scoring the Flames would muster as it was all UVa the rest of the way.
The Cavaliers responded in the top of the second inning and scored three runs to take their first lead of the game at 3-2. UVa’s Josh Darby drilled a solo home run to deep center field to drive in Virginia’s first run of the contest. Darby’s home run was his first of the season and the first of his career. After a walk by Scott Headd and a single by Joe Florio, Kyle Werman drove in Headd to tie the game at 2-2 with a sacrifice bunt before Florio scored the eventual game-winning run on an RBI-single to shallow center field by Tim Henry to make it 3-2.
In the top of the fourth inning, Virginia stretched its lead to 4-2 when Florio hit his first collegiate home run with a solo shot to left-center field. The Cavaliers added three more runs in the top of the fifth inning and extended their lead to 7-2 when UVa loaded the bases with no outs. UVa’s Sean Doolittle was hit by a pitch and later scored on an RBI-single to center field by Headd before Brandon Guyer (walk) scored a run himself on a double-play ground out by Florio to make it 6-2. Darby singled to reach base and scored a run later in the side on an RBI-single to third base by Werman to make it a 7-2 ballgame.
Matt Street hit his second home run of the season in as many games when he ripped a solo shot to left field to make it an 8-2 contest in the top of the sixth inning. Virginia tacked on a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning and made it a 10-2 game. Henry doubled to lead off the side before he scored two batters later on a ground out by Zimmerman to make it 9-2. One batter later, Doolittle crushed a solo home run to right field to make the score 10-2. Doolittle’s home run was his team-leading sixth of the season.
UVa’s McAnaney (3-0) remained perfect on the mound this season and picked up his third win this year after he went 6.0 innings and allowed just two runs on eight hits and struck out five batters. Poutier worked 2.0 hitless innings and Myers went 1.0 scoreless inning and both pitchers struck out a pair of batters.
Liberty starting pitcher Matt Hensley (1-1) took the loss after going 4.0 innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits and struck out four batters.
With the victory, Virginia’s record improves to 20-9 overall. The loss drops Liberty’s record to 18-9 on the season.
The Cavaliers will return to home action on April 8-10 when Virginia hosts the N.C. State Wolfpack in a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference at Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium.
— UVa —