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Baseball
Thompson Strikes Out Eight as UVa Defeats GWU, 6-2
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Feb. 25, 2006
CHARLESTON, S.C. – – Freshman right-hander Jacob Thompson struck out eight batters in eight innings and Virginia used a three-run fifth inning to break open a 1-1 game as the Cavaliers defeated Gardner-Webb, 6-2, Saturday morning at Patriots Point Field in the 2006 Charleston Challenge. Mike Mitchell finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored while Sean Doolittle and Beau Seabury each drove in two runs for the Cavaliers who improved to 8-1.
“That was a great job by our guys staying focused. The only thing that we knew about Gardner-Webb was that they were a solid ball club,” UVa head coach Brian O’Connor said. “Jacob had another great outing for us on the mound. He had good control of the plate. We were able to bunt and move runners into scoring position and then get them home, which we executed really well today.”
Thompson earned his third win of the season. He held the Bulldogs to two runs on eight hits. Casey Lambert pitched the final inning and recorded two strikeouts. Tim Henry and Jeremy Farrell each were 2-for-3 in the game. Henry drove in one run.
Virginia scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take its first lead of the game. Greg Miclat pinch-ran for Mike Campagna, who walked, and stole second. Mitchell laid down a bunt single giving the Hoos runners on the corners. Tim Henry’s bunt single scored Miclat as UVa led, 2-1. UVa made it 3-1 on Sean Doolttle’s sacrifice fly to right field. Brandon Guyer then followed with another sacrifice fly to score Henry for the 4-1 UVa advantage.
Blake Lalli’s second home run of the game, another solo shot to right field pulled Gardner-Webb within, 4-2.
Seabury’s two-run double scored David Adams and Patrick Wingfield in the bottom of the eighth to make it, 6-2.
Lalli’s solo home run to left field with two outs gave Gardner-Webb a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Virginia tied the game, 1-1, in the bottom of the first. Mitchell led off the inning with a single to center field and stole second. After Henry’s sacrifice bunt moved Mitchell, Sean Doolittle’s ground out scored the Cavaliers first run of the game.
Tim Thomas suffered the loss for the Bulldogs as he allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings. Lalli finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored while Jeremy McCann was 2-for-4.
Adams, Tom Hagan and Seabury each had one hit.
Virginia will wrap up play in the 2006 Charleston Challenge when the Cavaliers face the host team College of Charleston Sunday. The game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m., but the game time may be changed due to inclement weather in the area. Check www.virginiasports.com for any updates for Sunday’s game.