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Cavaliers Win Fourth Straight, Top William & Mary 17-2
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Feb. 20, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia baseball team scored a season-high 17 runs Tuesday afternoon in a 17-2 win over William & Mary at Davenport Field. The win kept the Cavaliers perfect at home this season, as they improve to 6-1 overall. The Tribe fell to 1-6.
“The one thing about playing five consecutive days and eight games in nine days is the team gets a chance to get into a groove,” head coach Brian O’Connor said. “Baseball is a game that is meant to be played every day, and this stretch is allowing us to get a lot of confidence. The thing I am most proud of today is the zero in the final column. To play errorless ball is a sign of a business-like attitude. You need to play the game the right way, no matter the score.”
Virginia scored 17 runs on 16 hits on the afternoon, and scored in every inning. Greg Miclat (Concord, N.C.), Sean Doolittle (Tabernacle, N.J.), and Brandon Guyer (Herndon, Va.) all went 3-for-4 to pace the Cavaliers. Doolittle also drove in five runs, as did David Adams (Margate, Fla.), who hit an inside-the-park home run in the game.
First-year Jeff Lorick (Duluth, Ga.) got his first career win on the mound, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings of work. William & Mary transfer Jake Rule (Waynesboro, Va.), Alex Smith (Virginia Beach, Va.), Andrew Carraway (Marietta, Ga.), and Casey Lambert (Harrisonburg, Va.) combined to pitch four shutout innings of relief, allowing just one hit while striking out seven.
Tribe starter Tyler Truxell took the loss, allowing nine runs (seven earned) on eight hits in four innings of work.
Virginia took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the first. Miclat singled to open the game, extending his hit streak to 11 consecutive at-bats. Brandon Marsh (Alpharetta, Ga.) was hit by a pitch, and he and Miclat scored on Doolittle’s double. Adams was hit by a pitch and Guyer’s bunt single loaded the bases. Doolittle scored later in the inning on a groundout.
The Tribe got one run back in the top of the second. After Mike Sheridan and James Williamson both walked, Sheridan scored on Lenny Stanfield’s RBI single.
The Cavaliers increased the lead to 6-1 in the bottom of the second. With two outs, Marsh was hit by a pitch. After Doolittle walked, Adams drove in Marsh and Doolittle with a double. Later in the inning, Jeremy Farrell’s (Westlake, Ohio) double scored Adams.
Lead was 8-1 after the third inning. Mike Mitchell (Chesapeake, Va.) and Miclat hit back-to-back singles. On a double steal, an error by the catcher allowed Mitchell to score and Miclat move to third. Marsh drove in Miclat with an RBI groundout.
Virginia tacked on another run in the fourth inning. Guyer hit a one-out double and later scored on an error.
William & Mary scored one run in the top of the fifth to make the score 9-2. Robbie Nickle drew a two-out walk and stole second. He scored on Sheridan’s RBI single.
The Cavaliers scored four in the bottom of the fifth to extend the advantage to 13-2. Mitchell drew a leadoff walk. Miclat walked and Marsh was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Doolittle’s sacrifice fly to right scored Mitchell. Adams then sent a ball to the left-center field gap and hustled around the bases for a three-run inside-the-park home run.
In the bottom of the sixth, Tyler Cannon (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) drew a walk and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches. Miclat drove him in with a single to center. After Tim Henry (Fairfield, Conn.) singled, Doolittle drove in Miclat with a double.
Virginia added a single run in both the seventh and eighth innings. In the seventh, Guyer led off with a double and scored on Farrell’s double. In the eighth, Henry doubled and scored on Doolittle’s single.
The Cavaliers will continue its homestand on Wednesday, as they host Coppin State. First pitch at Davenport Field is slated for 4 p.m. The starting pitchers for both squads are yet to be determined.