No. 24 Baseball Earns 7-3 Win over Liberty
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. The Virginia baseball team rallied from an early three-run deficit to knock off Liberty, 7-3, Wednesday evening at Davenport Field. After the Flames scored three runs in the first two innings, the Cavaliers’ pitching staff buckled down to allow just one base hit over the final seven innings.
Virginia starting pitcher Jeff Lorick (So., Duluth, Ga.) settled down after a rough beginning and went five innings, giving up three runs (two earned) and three hits while striking out three as he improved to 3-1 this season. Jake Rule (Sr., Waynesboro, Va.) pitched a perfect sixth inning before Robert Morey (Fr., Virginia Beach, Va.) tossed the final three innings to earn his second save. Morey gave up a hit and a walk while striking out a career-high five batters.
Tyler Light (1-1) started for Liberty and allowed five runs (four earned) and seven hits over 3.1 innings as he absorbed the loss.
A night after all 12 of the Cavaliers’ hits were singles, Virginia rung up five extra-base hits in its 10-hit night. Nine different Cavaliers recorded hits, with Patrick Wingfield (Sr., Winchester, Va.) posting two hits, including a double, while scoring twice.
Liberty (14-17) jumped out quickly with a run in the first, as P.K. Keller hit a two-out double and then scored when David Giammaresi followed with a double. The Flames pushed the lead to three in the second inning on an RBI fielder’s choice from Joseph Feeley and a sacrifice fly from Errol Hollinger.
Virginia (26-9) started its comeback with three runs in the third inning while batting around. After Wingfield and Jarrett Parker (Fr., Stafford, Va.) hit back-to-back singles to lead off the inning, Tyler Cannon (So., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) doubled to drive home Wingfield. A David Adams’ (Jr., Margate, Fla.) sacrifice fly brought Parker home, and with two out, Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio) singled to plate Cannon and tie the game.
The Cavaliers forged ahead with a two-run fourth inning. Wingfield led off with a double and scored on a Greg Miclat (Jr., Concord, N.C.) single. After Cannon was hit by a pitch, Adams grounded into a fielder’s choice to move Miclat to third, but a wild throw to first on the attempted double play allowed Miclat to come home and give UVa a 5-3 lead.
The lead grew to four, 7-3, as Virginia scored twice in the fifth inning. With one out, David Coleman (Fr., Richmond, Va.) and pinch hitter Tyler Biddix (Fr., Richmond, Va.) hit consecutive triples, and Wingfield followed with a sacrifice fly.
Virginia returns to ACC play this weekend, as it travels to Maryland for a three-game series. The first game is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Shipley Field.