Virginia Takes On Marist in Two-Game Midweek Series
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia baseball team entertains Marist in a two-game midweek series Tuesday and Wednesday at Davenport Field. Both contests will start at 5 p.m. Live audio (subscription required), as well as live statistics will be available at VirginiaSports.com.
The first game is a $2 Tuesday, with $2 hot dogs and sodas available at the concession stands throughout the evening.
Virginia (9-5-1) comes off an ACC series win over Virginia Tech last weekend at Davenport Field. In the rubber game of the series on Sunday, Nate Irving (Fr., Yonkers, N.Y.) hit a walk-off infield single with two outs in the ninth inning to cap a rally from three runs down as UVa topped Virginia Tech, 6-5.
UVa trailed 5-2 in the eighth inning before scoring two runs in each of the final two innings to rally for the victory and win the series, 2-1. The Cavaliers squandered a four-run lead in the ninth inning Friday in a 10-8, 11-inning defeat before rebounding for a 4-3 win Saturday.
RHP Branden Kline (Jr., Frederick, Md.) is slated to make the Tuesday start for Virginia, while LHP Rich Vrana will oppose him on the mound for Marist. Neither team has named a starting pitcher for Wednesday.
Jared King (Sr., Radford, Va.) continues to lead the Cavaliers in batting at .386. One of five UVa regulars with a batting average over .300, he boasts a team-high 22 hits as well as 17 RBI. Stephen Bruno (Jr., Audubon, N.J.) is bating .333, while freshman Mike Papi (Tunkhannock, Pa.) holds a .324 batting average. Reed Gragnani (Jr., Richmond, Va.) stands at .324, while Irving is batting .306.
Virginia is batting .309 as a team and owns a 3.13 team ERA. The Cavaliers are fielding at a .968 clip.
Marist is 3-5 this year following a 1-2 weekend at the Coastal Carolina Tournament. The Red Foxes defeated the host Chanticleers, 5-4 in 14 innings, last Saturday. Marist lost to Ohio State (17-2) and Toledo (9-3) in the tournament. Mike Orefice leads the team with a .471 batting average (16-for-34); Marist is batting .264 as a team. The Red Foxes own a 6.41 team ERA and .955 fielding percentage.
Virginia returns to action Saturday through Monday at No. 6 Florida State. All three games will be broadcast; the Saturday (8 p.m.) and Monday (7 p.m.) games will air on ESPNU, while the Sunday matinee (2 p.m.) will be webcast by ESPN3. The Monday game is the first in ESPN’s new ACC Monday package.