No. 2 Virginia Baseball Wallops Maryland 27-4 to Sweep DH

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Behind the third-most runs in an ACC game in program history, the second-ranked Virginia baseball team dismantled Maryland, 27-4, Friday night at Shipley Field to finish off UVa’s first ACC doubleheader sweep since 2004. Virginia racked up 28 hits, with 14 going for extra bases, and batted around in three different innings.

Virginia (33-9, 14-6 ACC) fell two runs shy of the program record for runs in a game – both overall and in the team’s ACC history. In ACC play the Cavaliers’ 27-run effort is topped only by 29- and 28-run outings in 1990 and 1978, respectively. Both also were against Maryland.

The school record of 29 runs has been set three times – 2007 against Niagara, 1990 against Maryland and 1901 against Bellevue High School. The 27-run outburst is the sixth-most runs in a game in program history, behind the three 29-run games and 28-run outings in 1971 vs. Richmond and 1978 vs. Maryland. UVa now has scored 27 runs on five occasions in the program’s 122-year history.

Thirteen Cavaliers recorded hits Friday night, highlighted by four-hit nights from Kenny Swab (Jr., Kernersville, N.C.) – who finished the doubleheader with six hits – and John Barr (Jr., Ivyland, Pa.). Steven Proscia (So., Suffern, N.Y.) posted his first career two-home run game and also drove in four runs, as did Swab and Dan Grovatt (Jr., Tabernacle, N.J.). Barr and Swab also scored four times apiece, while 12 Cavaliers crossed the plate at least once.

Virginia’s 10 doubles and 28 hits each are the most by an ACC team this season. The Cavaliers’ 27 runs mark the most by any team in a league game this year.

The Cavaliers’ offensive onslaught overshadowed a strong pitching outing from Robert Morey (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.), who tossed seven innings and allowed two earned runs, three hits and three walks while striking out four. He improved to 6-2 this season with the win.

Maryland starter Eric Potter (2-7) worked three innings and gave up 11 runs (10 earned) and 12 hits while striking out three in taking the loss.

While the Cavaliers made the majority of the offensive noise on Friday night, it was Maryland (15-27, 4-16) that opened the scoring. In the first inning leadoff hitter Alfredo Rodriguez pulled Morey’s first pitch over the left-field wall for his fourth home run of the season.

Virginia went down in order in its half of the first inning, but the Cavaliers exploded from there and pounded out all 28 of their hits over the next seven innings. UVa started by scoring four runs in the second inning. Proscia led off with his first homer of the day – a long blast to center field – and three batters later, John Hicks (So., Sandy Hook, Va.) swatted a two-run shot to left field for his third long ball of the season. Swab followed with a double and scored one out later on a Maryland error.

The Cavaliers added three runs in the third inning, getting an RBI triple from Barr and back-to-back RBI doubles from Swab and Stephen Bruno (Fr., Audubon, N.J.).

UVa then sent 13 batters to the plate in a seven-run fourth inning to stretch the lead to 14-1. Tyler Cannon (Sr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) and Grovatt hit consecutive singles to lead off and both trotted home when Proscia ripped his second home run of the game and his team-high sixth of the year. UVa finished with eight hits in the inning, adding RBI doubles from Gragnani and Phil Gosselin (Jr., West Chester, Pa.) and run-scoring singles from Bruno and Grovatt. By the end of the fourth inning, five Cavaliers already had made four plate appearances each.

Maryland scored a run in the fifth inning when Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to score Zach Fisher.

The Cavaliers recorded their second seven-run frame in the seventh inning, with 11 batters stepping to the plate to push the lead to 21-2. The first five batters reached and later scored. After Chris Taylor (Fr., Virginia Beach, Va.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, four straight Cavaliers singled, with Reed Gragnani (Fr., Richmond, Va.) driving in one with his hit and Swab knocking in two with his. Danny Hultzen (So., Bethesda, Md.) later scored a run with a bases-loaded walk, and Grovatt followed with a two-run double. Taylor knocked in the final run with an RBI groundout to plate Hultzen.

Virginia capped its scoring by sending 11 more to the plate in a six-run eighth inning. Swab, Keith Werman (So., Vienna, Va.) and David Coleman (Jr., Richmond, Va.) each had RBI singles, while Hultzen ripped a two-run double and Grovatt knocked in a run on a groundout. When the inning ended, UVa had made seven full trips through the batting order in the game.

The Terrapins added a pair of runs in the ninth inning on an RBI double by Mike Rozak and a run-scoring single by Gary Schneider.

Virginia goes for the series sweep at 1 p.m. Saturday.