UVA Baseball (20-13) was powered by a two-homer night from Brendan Rivoli (Douglassville, Pa.) in a 9-3 victory over James Madison (18-16) at Veterans Memorial Park on Tuesday. Virginia has won 10 straight over the Dukes and is unbeaten in its last 14 meetings.
Virginia jumped out to a 3-0 lead just three batters into the game thanks to the first Rivoli home run, a three-run shot over the right centerfield wall. He followed up a with a solo homer in the fourth inning and finished the night with four RBI, a new career-high. He is the second Cavalier this season to record a two-home run game.
The Cavaliers never trailed in the contest and scored in each of the first five innings. Virginia received run-scoring hits from Logan Michaels (DeForest, Wis.) and Nate Eikhoff (Bristow, Va.) in the contest. Eikhoff matched a career-high with three hits in five at bats while Michaels tallied his seventh multi-hit performance with a 2-for-5 effort at the plate.
James Madison left five runners on base in their first two trips to the plate. Starting pitcher Evan Sperling (Poquoson, Va.) stranded runners at the corners in the first inning and Grant Donahue (Berlin, Md.) limited a Dukes threat to one run by leaving the bases loaded in the second.
Donahue was credited with his second win of the season after matching a season-high three innings pitched. The righthander struck out a career-high five batters and allowed only one run on two hits.
Sophomore Devin Ortiz (Irvington, N.J.) assumed the pitching duties in the fifth and tossed the next four innings, his longest outing as a Cavalier. He struck out a career-high, five batters and retired nine of the last 10 batters he faced. Zach Messinger (Chandler, Ind.) allowed an unearned run in the ninth but finished off the game with a strikeout to seal the victory.
Virginia returns home tomorrow night (April 10) to host Norfolk State at 6 p.m. The contest will commence a 10-game home stand at Disharoon Park.
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Chris Graham
