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Baseball
Cavaliers Split Friday Doubleheader with Hokies
April 6, 2018
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (17-14, 5-9 ACC) got a standout effort from game one starting pitcher Derek Casey (Mechanicsville, Va.) in a 9-0 victory but fell 5-4 to Virginia Tech (13-16, 6-8 ACC) in the nightcap.
Casey was brilliant in his first career complete game and the first by a Virginia pitcher this season. The right-hander scattered three hits, did not walk a batter and struck out seven en route to his staff-high, fourth win of the season.
Virginia Tech executed a suicide squeeze in the top of the ninth inning for the go-head run in game two. The game was tied on three separate occasions and the Cavaliers held leads of 2-1 and 3-2 in the contest. Jake Owens was credited with game-winning RBI and Luke Owens scored the game-deciding run.
The two teams will play the rubber match on Sunday at Disharoon Park. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Game 1 | Virginia 9, Virginia Tech 0
The complete game for Casey was the first since teammate Daniel Lynch went all nine against James Madison on April 17, 2017.
Casey faced the minimum over the first three innings and allowed only one Virginia Tech base runner to reach second base all afternoon.
Although he didn’t need much help, Casey had his first lead four batters into the bottom of the first inning. Nate Eikhoff (Bristow, Va.) doubled to left field plating Tanner Morris (Crozet, Va.). The next batter, Alex Tappen (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.) drove in Cayman Richardson (Mechanicsville, Va.) on a sacrifice fly for the second run of the frame.
The Cavaliers scored three runs over the next three innings then broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth, capitalizing on one of three Virginia Tech errors in the game.
Seven of the nine batters in the Virginia lineup recorded a hit and the 15 total base knocks were one shy of matching a season-high.
Richardson had a career-game, racking up four hits in five at bats. He kept the fifth inning rally alive with a two-out single up the middle that scored Morris for the third time.
Andy Weber (Aurora, Ohio) drove in a game-high three runs, in a 3-for-5 effort at the plate. Morris, who led the game off with a hit for the fourth time in the last five games, scored a career-high four runs in the contest, finishing the game with a 3-for-5 effort. It was his third, three-hit game of the season.
The Cavalier defense turned three double plays behind Casey. Virginia had turned 14 double plays through the first 28 games, now have turned seven in the last two.
Game 2 | Virginia Tech 5, Virginia Tech 4
The late-inning loss spoiled another quality start by Daniel Lynch (Henrico, Va.). The lefty pitched into the seventh inning for the fifth-straight week, allowing three earned runs. He struck out 10 batters, the fourth consecutive game in which produced 10 or more strikeouts. Only UVA Hall of Famer, Danny Hultzen, has gone four starts with while striking out 10-plus for the Cavaliers.
The Virginia offense produced a pair of home runs, the first was an opposite field shot by Eikhoff in the bottom of the fourth inning. The long ball was his third of the season, tied for the team lead, and gave Virginia a 2-1 advantage.
Brendan Rivoli (Douglasville, Pa.) hit his first career bomb, a solo blast, in the fifth to help Cavaliers regain the lead, 3-2. The ball of the bat of the left-handed swinging Rivoli cleared everything in right field and landed outside the confines of the Disharoon Park.
Rivoli finished the day 4-for-9 with two doubles, a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs. He came into the contest with three hits and three career starts on the season.
Additional Notes
– The win in game one for Virginia was the 100th against the Hokies in a series that dates back to 1900. The Cavaliers own a 100-86 record against Virginia Tech all-time.
– Five of Lynch’s seven starts this season have been quality starts (6 IP, less than 3 earned runs). Casey has been credited with four of the team’s 12 quality starts in 2018.
– Virginia has split the last eight doubleheaders and owns a 51-18-1 record in twinbills since 2010.
– Weber reached base in both games of the doubleheader and now has reached safely in 17-straight games.
More on the Commonwealth Clash
The series will also signifies the baseball matchup between Virginia and Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash. The Commonwealth Clash presented by Virginia529 is a head-to-head, points-based competition between the athletic teams at University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The Commonwealth Clash encourages a friendly, statewide rivalry between the two schools across all school-sponsored sports with 21 individual event points on the line. The school that accumulates 11 points or more will be crowned the winner and take home the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash trophy. Visit www.TheCommonwealthClash.com for more information and updated standings.