#3 UVa. shuts out Towson

The Virginia baseball team posted its sixth shutout in 22 games this season with a 6-0 victory over Towson Tuesday night in the opener of a two-game midweek series at Davenport Field. UVa improved to 20-2 this season with the win, while Towson dropped to 6-13-1.

Virginia starter Will Roberts (Jr., Richmond, Va.) scattered six hits over five scoreless innings. Roberts (4-0) also struck out four in earning the victory; he has pitched in half of UVa’s shutouts this season. Kyle Crockett (Poquoson, Va.) allowed just a pair of hits over three innings before Austin Young (Fr., Mechanicsville, Va.) worked a perfect ninth to complete the shutout.

Towson reliever Spencer Patton (1-2) was credited with the loss after giving up a pair of runs in the fourth inning. Chris Wychock and Hunter Bennett each had two hits for Towson.

Chris Taylor (So., Virginia Beach, Va.) went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two RBI to lead the Cavaliers’ offense. John Hicks (Jr., Sandy Hook, Va.) and Kenny Swab (Sr., Kernersville, N.C.) each had a pair of hits. UVa finished with 10 hits, but the Cavaliers also missed out on several scoring chances and stranded 12 runners – one shy of a season high.

Virginia squandered big scoring opportunities in each of the first two innings, wasting a leadoff Taylor double in the first and leaving the bases loaded in the second. UVa broke through in the fourth inning, taking advantage of control issues by Patton. Steven Proscia (Jr., Suffern, N.Y.) drew a leadoff, four-pitch walk. One out later David Coleman (Sr., Richmond, Va.) walked and Keith Werman (Jr., Vienna, Va.) was hit by a pitch. Reed Gragnani (So., Richmond, Va.) then walked to force in a run and Taylor singled sharply to center to bring in Coleman as UVa took a 2-0 lead.

The Cavaliers doubled their advantage in the fifth inning. Ryan Levine (So., Montvale, N.J.) hit a leadoff single and one out later advanced on a wild pitch. With two out he moved to third on reliever Christian Duclos’ balk. Coleman then doubled down the right-field line to score Levine, and Werman followed with a single to center to score a sliding Coleman and stretch the lead to 4-0

Virginia tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning. After throwing out Bennett at the plate from center field to end the top of the eighth, Gragnani drew a leadoff walk. He was replaced by Mitchell Shifflett (Fr., Midlothian, Va.), who promptly stole second base. Taylor doubled to left to score a run and one out later Hicks singled to left to plate Taylor for the final score of 6-0.