Virginia Advances to College World Series with 11-2 Win Over Maryland

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June 9, 2014

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CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia baseball team advanced to the 2014 NCAA College World Series with an 11-2 victory over Maryland in the decisive Game 3 of the Charlottesville Super Regional, Monday night at Davenport Field. The Cavaliers (49-14) advance to the third College World Series in school history, all in the past six years (2009, 2011).

Virginia will open play in College World Series on Sunday against Mississippi, who won the Lafayette Super Regional in three games over Louisiana-Lafayette. Game time will be 8 p.m. ET and it will air on ESPN2. The third-seeded Cavaliers are the highest seed to advance to Omaha.

Kenny Towns (Burke, Va.) led the Cavalier offense with a 3-for-4 night, driving in four runs to tie the school record for an NCAA Tournament game. Daniel Pinero (Toronto, Ontario), Joe McCarthy (Scranton, Pa.) and Brandon Downes(South Plainfield, N.J.) also had multi-hit games for Virginia.

Josh Sborz (McLean, Va.) earned the win, pitching seven shutout innings. He allowed four hits while striking out nine to improve to 5-4 on the year. Nick Howard(Olney, Md.) closed the door on the Terrapins, allowing one hit over the final 1.1 innings of shutout relief.

Maryland starter Bobby Ruse (7-3) took the loss, allowing six runs on six hits in 2.1 innings.

The Cavaliers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Pinero was hit by a pitch and moved to second on McCarthy’s infield single. Derek Fisher’s(Rexmont, Pa.) two-out RBI single drove in Pinero with the game’s first run. Towns followed with a triple off the left field wall to bring home McCarthy and Fisher.

The Virginia lead was extended to 6-0 in the third inning. Singles by Pinero and McCarthy and a walk by Fisher loaded the bases. Towns delivered a single that scored two runs and chased Ruse from the game. After Tayler Stiles walked John La Prise(Exton, Pa.) to reload the bases, Downes’ infield single drove in another run.

Maryland cut the lead to 6-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth. LaMonte Wade and Jose Cuas both singled and scored on a two-out double by Blake Schmit.

The Cavaliers responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning to extend the advantage to 11-2. Singles from La Prise and Downes, followed by a walk to Robbie Coman (Lake Worth, Fla.), loaded the bases with one out. Branden Cogswell (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) drove in two runs with a single and Pinero followed with a double to bring in two more runs. The final run was scored when Mike Papi(Tunkhannock, Pa.) doubled to drive home Pinero.

Virginia won the best of three series over the Terrapins after dropping Game 1 on Saturday, 5-4. The Cavaliers drew even in the series with a 7-3 win in Game 2 on Sunday before advancing to Omaha with Monday’s victory in Game 3.