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No. 1 Baseball sweeps Georgia Tech

O'Connor second-fastest coach to 500 ACC wins, team honors graduating seniors

	<p>Junior second baseman Branden Cogswell was 3 for 4 with two <span class="caps">RBI</span> in Virginia&#8217;s 4-3 win Saturday afternoon. </p>

Junior second baseman Branden Cogswell was 3 for 4 with two RBI in Virginia’s 4-3 win Saturday afternoon.

Sunday, the Virginia baseball team completed a three-game sweep of Costal Division competitor Georgia Tech before 4,698 fans at Davenport Field. The No. 1 Cavaliers (41-9, 21-6 ACC) improved to 9-0 in ACC series on the year while honoring graduating seniors Austin Young, Artie Lewicki and Whit Mayberry, all right-handed pitchers.

Sophomore left-hander Brandon Waddell held the Yellow Jackets (29-23, 14-16 ACC) to one run in seven innings as the Cavaliers earned their first sweep of Georgia Tech since 2005 with a 3-1 win. Sophomore designated hitter John La Prise and junior center fielder Brandon Downes came through with run-scoring, two-out singles in the second inning, and junior third baseman Kenny Towns drove in junior left fielder Derek Fisher for the final margin in the seventh.

Young and junior closer Nick Howard fired back-to-back perfect innings after Waddell left. Waddell has now thrown at least six innings in 10 consecutive starts.

The Cavaliers clinched the series with a 4-3 victory Saturday after 11 innings of near-misses in the batter’s box. With the bases loaded and one out in the decisive frame, junior second baseman Branden Cogswell walked against senior reliever Jonathan Roberts, scoring sophomore shortstop Daniel Pinero from third. Cogswell finished with three hits and two RBI, and sophomore right-hander Josh Sborz allowed only an unearned run in his six innings of work.

The Cavaliers had left 13 men on base in the first 10 innings.

Virginia’s 4-3 victory Friday night gave coach Brian O’Connor 500 ACC wins in 672 career conference games. O’Connor is the second-fastest coach to the 500 mark in ACC history behind Florida State’s Mike Martin.

Junior first baseman Mike Papi knocked in La Prise and Towns with a two-out single in the seventh to rally the Cavaliers from 3-2 down. Georgia Tech had scored three runs in the sixth to knock out sophomore left-hander Nathan Kirby after five and two-thirds innings.

The Cavaliers play Virginia Commonwealth Tuesday evening in the finale of their five-game home stand. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

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