The No. 8 Virginia baseball team scored nine runs in the first inning in rolling to a 16-8 win over William and Mary Tuesday afternoon at Davenport Field. Virginia (5-3) racked up 17 hits, including eight for extra bases, in the victory.
“I was really proud of our guys. I thought we had a good approach right out of the gate against their starter,” Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor said. “Certainly there were a few balls that found some holes, but for the most part we squared up the ball pretty well and took advantage of it. It was contagious and continued to roll. I thought Adam Haseley did a nice job in his second start and we got a lot of other guys out there in relief. We got a chance to get a look a lot of players in different spots. Working on that versatility when we get the chance is great. I think it will prove to be beneficial for us.”
Pulling double duty, Adam Haseley (So., Windermere, Fla.) started on the mound and worked five innings, allowing two runs, two hits and a walk while fanning two. He earned the win to up his record to 2-0 on the year. Haseley also led off the batting order and went 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
William and Mary freshman starter Bodie Sheehan (0-2) took the loss after working the long first inning. He gave up 10 hits and nine runs, although only two were earned. The Tribe (5-3) committed six errors in the game, and only five of Virginia’s runs were earned.
Ten Cavaliers recorded at least one hit, with Ernie Clement (So., Rochester, N.Y.) and Daniel Pinero (Jr., Toronto, Ontario) each picking up three. Clement continued his torrid hitting and is now 17-for-33 (.515) through eight games. Justin Novak (So., Tokyo, Japan) went 2-for-4 with a career-high three RBI out of the 9-hole in the order.
Virginia exploded for nine runs in the opening inning, sending 13 batters to the plate. With one out, Clement, Matt Thaiss (Jr., Jackson, N.J.) and Pavin Smith (So., Jupiter, Fla.) hit consecutive singles to plate the game’s first run. William & Mary then threw away a potential double-play ball, allowing Thaiss to score, and Doak Dozier (Fr., Fort Worth, Texas) followed with a run-scoring infield single to make it a 3-0 game.
With two outs, UVA concluded the inning with six straight hits. Andy Weber (Fr., Aurora, Ohio) doubled in a run and Novak followed with a two-run single. Haseley tripled to bring home Novak, and Clement singled in Haseley. Thaiss singled before Smith launched a double to center, scoring Clement for the ninth run of the inning before Thaiss was thrown out at the plate.
Virginia pushed the lead to 10-0 in the second on an RBI double from Novak. William & Mary got two runs back in the third inning on a two-run homer to left-center by Ryan Hall.
UVA scored three runs in the fourth. With one out and the bases loaded, Haseley hit a sacrifice fly to deep center field. Clement followed with an RBI single to left.
William & Mary scored a pair of runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to cut the UVA lead to 13-6. Virginia responded with a run in its half of the seventh when Pinero doubled home Smith.
After the Tribe got two runs in the top of the eighth, UVA countered in the bottom of the inning with RBI doubles from freshmen Cameron Comer (Powell, Ohio) and Nate Eikhoff (Bristow, Va.).
Virginia continues its 10-game homestand this weekend (Friday through Sunday) for a three-game series against Monmouth. Game times are 3 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
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