The No. 3-ranked Virginia baseball team scored four runs in the second inning and made it stand up in defeating Maryland, 4-2, Saturday afternoon in the second game of a doubleheader at Davenport Field. UVa won both games of the twinbill by 4-2 scores and swept the three-game series.
Virginia (24-2, 8-1 ACC) has won 23 of its last 24 contests with Maryland, including seven straight dating to the 2009 season. The Cavaliers pulled out the doubleheader sweep Saturday with timely two-out hitting and outstanding pitching. All eight Virginia runs Saturday scored after two batters were out, while UVa’s pitching staff limited the Terrapins (11-13, 1-8) to just 11 hits in the doubleheader.
In the second game Saturday, Virginia starter Cody Winiarski (Sr., Franksville, Wis.) worked seven strong innings, allowing two earned runs, four hits and a walk while striking out five. He earned the win and improved to 3-1 this season. After allowing two early runs, Winiarski settled down and retired 16 of the final 17 batters he faced.
Justin Thompson (Jr., Danville, Va.) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings out of the UVa bullpen before Branden Kline (So., Frederick, Md.) struck out the final two batters to notch his second save of the day and 10th of the season. Kline is the first UVa pitcher to save both ends of a doubleheader since Michael Schwimer against Stony Brook in 2008.
Maryland starter Eric Potter (2-3) lasted 1.2 innings, giving up four earned runs, three hits and three walks while striking out one in taking the loss. The Terps’ bullpen stifled UVa the rest of the way – Brady Kirkpatrick blanked the Cavaliers over 4.2 strong innings of relief, and Michael Boyden did not allow a run in the final 1.2 frames.
Both teams finished with six hits. Chris Taylor (So., Virginia Beach, Va.) went 2-for-4, including a two-run triple. Kenny Swab (Sr., Kernersville, N.C.) added a pair of hits for Virginia. Kyle Convissar led Maryland with two hits.
As they did in the first game of the doubleheader, the Terrapins jumped to an early 2-0 lead. Maryland picked up a run in the first on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Holland to score Charlie White, who doubled to lead off the game. The Terps tallied another run in the second on a two-out single by Jack Cleary to plate Convissar.
Virginia scored all the runs it needed in a four-run second inning, while quickly knocking Potter from the game. With two out and Swab on second base, Virginia put its next four batters on base. Keith Werman (Jr., Vienna, Va.) was hit by a pitch and Mitchell Shifflett (Fr., Midlothian, Va.) followed with a single up the middle. Swab scored on the play, and when the ball struck Swab as he slid across the plate, it rolled into foul territory and allowed both baserunners to advance a base. Taylor followed with a triple to left-center to give UVa the 3-2 lead. John Barr (Sr., Ivyland, Pa.) then walked. Potter was replaced by Kirkpatrick, who promptly uncorked a wild pitch to let Taylor score.
After going five innings without a hit, Maryland threatened in the eighth against UVa reliever Justin Thompson (Jr., Danville, Va.), putting runners at second and third with two outs after a wild pitch. Thompson rebounded to strike out pinch hitter Tim Kiene on a 2-2 pitch to squelch the opportunity.
The Terps got a runner to second with one out in the ninth before Kline struck out Tomo Delp swinging and Aaron Etchison looking to end the game.
Game 1
The No. 3-ranked Virginia baseball team scored three runs in the eighth inning – all after two batters were out – in rallying for a 4-2 win over Maryland in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday at Davenport Field. All four Virginia runs came with two outs.
With two outs in the eighth, Maryland committed errors on consecutive pitches and Virginia (23-2, 7-1 ACC) made the Terrapins and reliever Korey Wacker pay. Steven Proscia (Jr., Suffern, N.Y.), who went 3-for-4 in the game, singled to left-center to plate John Hicks (Jr., Sandy Hook, Va.) and tie the game. Kenny Swab (Sr., Kernersville, N.C.) then hit a rocket off the leg of Wacker and the ball bounded into foul territory and past diving first baseman Gary Schneider. Mitchell Shifflett (Fr., Midlothian, Va.) scored all the way from second base on the play to give UVa a 3-2 lead.
Pinch hitter Jared King (Jr., Radford, Va.) then ripped a single to center to bring Proscia home and push the lead to 4-2. Branden Kline (So., Frederick, Md.) came on in the ninth to shut down the Terrapins and nail down his ACC-best ninth save of the season.
Kyle Crockett (Fr., Poquoson, Va.) recorded the final two outs in the eighth innings to earn the win and improve to 2-0 this season. Wacker (1-1) surrendered three unearned runs and three hits in the eighth inning to take the loss.
Despite receiving no-decisions, both starting pitchers were extremely impressive. Virginia’s Tyler Wilson (Sr., Midlothian, Va.) established career highs in innings pitched (7.1) and strikeouts (11). He allowed just two runs (one earned), four hits and a walk. Maryland’s David Carroll pitched seven innings, giving up one earned run, four hits and two walks while fanning a pair. Carroll retired 17 straight batters from the second to the seventh inning.
The teams combined for just 12 hits. Proscia was the lone Cavalier with more than one hit; with two hits, Ryan Holland was the only Terrapin who notched more than one hit.
Maryland (11-12, 1-7 ACC) wasted little time in grabbing the early lead. Charlie White singled to start the game and moved up on an Alfredo Rodriguez bunt. Holland then reached on an error, with White scoring on the play.
Virginia squandered a big scoring opportunity in the second inning. Ryan Levine (So., Hackensack, N.J.) drew a leadoff walk and Proscia singled to center. Carroll then balked to move the runners to second and third. Swab then struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch on the outside corner. With the infield pulled in, David Coleman (Sr., Richmond, Va.) grounded to Holland at second base, who fired home to nail Levine at the plate. Reed Gragnani (So., Richmond, Va.) grounded out to first to end the inning.
The Terrapins cashed in on their scoring chance in the third inning. Alex Ramsey led off with a single and moved to second on a White sacrifice. With two out Holland singled up the middle to plate Ramsay.
Carroll dominated after the second inning, retiring 17 straight batters after putting the first two runners on in the second. Proscia broke the drought with a double up the left-center field alley with two out in the seventh. After Swab walked, Coleman singled to left-center to score Proscia and cut the lead in half. UVa proceeded to load the bases before Keith Werman (Jr., Vienna, Va.) lined out to center to end the threat.
Share
Contributors
