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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. The Virginia baseball team ran its home winning streak to 15 games with a 7-3 win over Boston College Friday night at Davenport Field. The Cavaliers exploded for six runs in the fourth inning to rally from an early deficit and roll to the win.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
Virginia starter Jacob Thompson (Jr., Danville, Va.) pitched six-plus innings, allowing two earned runs, four hits and five walks while striking out seven. He improves to 3-0 on the season and recorded his 24th career win, a school record. Matt Packer (So., Germantown, Tenn.) pitched the final three innings to earn his first career save.
Boston College’s Terry Doyle (2-2) took the loss after going six innings and giving up seven runs (five earned), eight hits and three walks while striking out seven.
Greg Miclat (Jr., Concord, Va.) and David Coleman (Fr., Richmond, Va.) each had two hits for the Cavaliers (17-4, 3-4 ACC), while David Adams (Jr., Margate, Fla.) had a game-changing three-run double and Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio) hit a solo home run.
Boston College (9-9, 2-5) jumped on Thompson for single runs in the first and second inning. In the first, Tony Sanchez doubled to right-center to score Barry Butera. In the second, Garret Smith singled to plate Mike Belfiore. After the two runs, Thompson settled down and struck out five over the next four innings.
Virginia left four runners on base through the first three innings before finally breaking through with six runs in the fourth inning. Farrell led off with a towering home run to left-center to cut the lead in half. Virginia then loaded the bases with two out, and Tyler Cannon (So., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) forced home a run with a walk.
Adams, on a 1-2 count, followed with the key hit of the game, a bases-clearing double over the head of left fielder Mickey Wiswall to give Virginia a 5-2 lead. Adams then hustled home on an errant pickoff throw by Doyle to push the score to 6-2.
The Cavaliers tacked on a run in the sixth on a Coleman double to score Franco Valdes (So., Miami, Fla.).
BC added a run in the ninth on Ryan Akel’s pinch-hit home run to left center.
The teams play game two of the series at 1 p.m. Saturday.