The No. 22 Virginia baseball team finished off a three-game series sweep of No. 21 Miami with a 7-4 victory Monday evening Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field in Coral Gables, Fla. The Cavaliers (31-14-1, 14-10 ACC) secured their first series sweep against the Hurricanes (27-17, 12-12).
Virginia has won a season-high seven-consecutive games as it enters an eight-day break for final exams. UVa also has captured five straight in ACC play with back-to-back road series wins at Duke and Miami.
Virginia starting pitcher Artie Lewicki (So., Wyckoff, N.J.) tossed 6.1 innings to earn the win and improve to 3-2. He allowed two earned runs, three hits and a walk while striking out five. Kyle Crockett (So., Poquoson, Va.) and Austin Young (So., Mechanicsville, Va.) combined to allow just one hit over the final 2.2 innings to seal the win.
Miami starting pitcher Christian Diaz (0-1) worked 3.0 innings, allowing four runs (three earned), five hits and a walk while fanning one in taking the loss. The Hurricanes’ defense committed five errors, which led to two unearned runs for UVa
Eight of the nine Virginia position starters had at least one hit, highlighted by a 3-for-4 effort by Derek Fisher (Fr., Rexmont, Pa.). Stephen Bruno (Jr., Audubon, N.J.), Jared King (Sr., Radford, Va.) and Keith Werman (Sr., Vienna, Va.) each added a pair of hits.
Virginia took an early lead by scoring three times in the second inning. Fisher hit a leadoff single and moved around to third when Stephen Perez booted a King grounder to second base. Brandon Downes (Fr., South Plainfield, N.J.) followed with a dribbler down the third-base line which stayed fair before coming to a stop, allowing Fisher to score. After a Nate Irving (Fr., Yonkers, N.Y.) sacrifice, Mitchell Shifflett (So., Poquoson, Va.) lined a single to center to plate both runners for a 3-0 UVa lead.
The Cavaliers added to their lead in the third. With one out, Bruno doubled off the left-field wall. He scored with two outs when King lined a single to right.
Miami shaved a run from the lead in the fourth inning as Brad Fieger blooped a two-out single to left-center to score Tyler Palmer from second base.
Virginia doubled its lead with a three-run sixth inning. With one out Werman reached on a throwing error. Chris Taylor (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.) then cranked a triple down the right-field line and into the corner to plate Werman. The triple was Virginia’s 32nd of the year, matching the program record set in 2010. After a walk to Branden Cogswell (Fr., Ballston Lake, N.Y.), Bruno and Fisher hit back-to-back run-scoring singles as UVa extended its lead to 7-1.
The Hurricanes got a run back in the sixth on a one-out solo home run by Palmer. They added a pair of unearned runs in the ninth on a passed ball and a Michael Broad groundout.
UVa returns to action Wednesday, May 9, at home against High Point. Virginia’s game with Mount St. Mary’s, originally scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Davenport Field, has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.
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Chris Graham
