The top-ranked Virginia baseball team scored seven runs in the third inning, highlighted by an inside-the-park grand slam by Danny Hultzen (Jr., Bethesda, Md.), en route to a 12-1 victory over Richmond Wednesday evening in front of 3,128 spectators at Davenport Field. The attendance figure represents a home midweek record for Virginia Baseball.
Hultzen had a pair of hits and four RBI for Virginia (38-3), while David Coleman (Sr., Richmond, Va.) went 3-for-3 and now has recorded seven hits in his last seven at bats. The Cavaliers finished with 15 hits. Richmond (19-16-2) posted six hits from six different players.
In his first career starting assignment, Virginia left-hander Scott Silverstein (Jr., Brookeville, Md.) worked three scoreless innings, allowing a hit and two walks while striking out a pair to earn his first career win. Richmond starter Billy Barber (1-1) took the loss after giving up six earned runs and six hits in 2.1 innings.
After two scoreless and hitless innings, Virginia exploded for seven runs and eight hits in the third inning. Coleman started the inning with a double and scored on a Colin Harrington (So., Johnstown, Pa.) triple to right-center. Keith Werman (Jr., Vienna, Va.) then knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly. The next four Cavaliers singled, capped by a Steven Proscia (Jr., Suffern, N.Y.) single to left field to load the bases.
Hultzen then ripped a rocket to center, where Matt Zink broke in a few steps, then slipped and fell as he attempted to plant and retreat, and the ball carried well over his head and all the way to the warning track. Hultzen motored around third and slid in to beat the relay throw to the plate for UVa’s first inside-the-park homer since David Adams hit one against William and Mary on Feb. 20, 2007. It also was Hultzen’s first home run since May 9, 2009, against Duke.
UVa added a run in the fourth on a John Hicks (Jr., Sandy Hook, Va.) RBI single, then tacked on three in the fifth on an RBI single by Coleman, a run-scoring groundout by Werman and an RBI single by Chris Taylor (So., Virginia Beach, Va.).
Virginia posted a final run in the seventh inning on a solo home run into the right-field bleachers by Shane Halley (Jr., Burke, Va.) – his first career home run.
Richmond scored a run in the ninth inning on a sacrifice fly by Mike Mergenthaler off UVa closer Branden Kline (So., Frederick, Md.).
The game was delayed for 25 minutes with one out in the first inning after Richmond shortstop Mike Small suffered a serious lower leg injury while sliding into second base. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
The Cavaliers return to Davenport Field this weekend for a three-game ACC series with NC State. The teams will play at 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
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