The Virginia baseball team Tuesday night defeated in-state rival James Madison 9-3 in Harrisonburg — Virginia’s second win against the Dukes in 2014. The No. 1 Cavaliers (28-5, 12-3 ACC) were powered at the plate by sophomore right fielder Joe McCarthy and junior left fielder Mike Papi, who each swatted a home run and finished the game with four RBI.
Virginia jumped on James Madison junior right-hander Ben Garner for a pair of first-inning runs, with freshman shortstop Daniel Pinero drawing a one-out walk before McCarthy launched a mammoth blast past the fence in right-center field.
Garner departed after taking a line drive off the body in the final at-bat of the first inning, but the Dukes’ next two relievers, freshman left-hander Michael Evans and redshirt junior right-hander Michael Howerton, did not fare far better. The Cavaliers tagged them for six runs on eight hits and five walks in their four innings of work.
The Virginia arms, meanwhile, muted the James Madison bats for eight innings. Freshman right-hander Alec Bettinger tossed four scoreless frames to pick up his fourth win of the year, and senior right-hander Artie Lewicki continued his return to pre-injury form, striking out five Dukes in three hitless innings of work. Redshirt senior right-hander Whit Mayberry worked a perfect eighth.
Sophomore third baseman John La Prise kept up his torrid offensive pace by reaching base in all five of his plate appearances. Junior center fielder Brandon Downes had two hits and two walks. Papi is now batting .330 with six home runs and 30 RBI on the year, all high-water marks among the everyday starters.
Read More
Leo Afonso is ascending the ranks of club soccer — and he is not done yet
By Ben Istvan | 12 hours agoVirginia's former talisman recently made waves in professional soccer with a dreamlike 17-day stretch.
Virginia softball fumbles last home game of the season to Virginia Tech
By Eleanor Lynch | YesterdayThe Hokies shut out the Cavaliers, who continue to show immense struggles at the plate.
Hoos in the NBA Playoffs
By Oliver Blair | YesterdayThe NBA Playoffs are tipping off imminently, and many of Virginia’s former heroes will be chasing the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
