Virginia brought its bats Wednesday against Coppin State, routing the Eagles 15-1 at Davenport Field.
The Cavaliers' 15 runs marked their largest offensive output of the season. They also topped the 10-run mark for the third time in their last five contests.
The Cavalier offensive explosion was led by senior Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman went four for five from the plate, including a two-run homer in the fourth inning to break open a previously close game. The homerun was Zimmerman's second in the last three games.
"He's really starting to see the ball pretty good," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said.
Senior Matt Street and freshman Patrick Wingfield also contributed three hits apiece, and all but one Virginia starter recorded at least one hit.
Zimmerman, with the help of the coaching staff, has returned to his usual high level of play after a rough beginning to his senior season.
"I've been working a lot with [assistant] coach [Kevin McMullan]," Zimmerman said. "A couple weeks ago, I was struggling a little bit. We made a [few] minor changes, and I feel really good right now."
The young Cavalier pitching staff also impressed against an overmatched Coppin State squad. In his second collegiate start, freshman Pat McAnaney pitched five strong innings, giving up only one run on four hits before leaving the game in the sixth inning.
O'Connor was happy with the young hurler's performance.
"It was good to see Pat get out there," O'Connor said. "I thought he threw the ball pretty well."
Once the Cavalier offense put the game out of reach, O'Connor was able to put more of his young pitchers in the game.
"Fortunately, we opened the game up a little bit," O'Connor said. "It allowed us to get four guys out there on the mound and get some work to stay sharp."
Since being swept by Wake Forest, the Cavaliers have rattled off six straight wins to improve to 14-6 on the season.
After leading only 1-0 after the first three innings, the Cavaliers were energized by Zimmerman's homerun in the fourth inning.
"We weren't really hyped up to play that much at the beginning," Zimmerman said. "Sometimes it takes a play like that, anyone on our team doing something little."
The rejuvenated Cavaliers then put up three more runs in the fifth inning, four in the sixth, and five in the seventh to overwhelm the Eagles. Virginia's offense struck so fast that the Coppin State relievers often did not have any time to warm up before coming into the game.
"You've got to treat every game the same," O'Connor said. "You can't take anything for granted. I was proud of the way all our guys threw, and we kept up our intensity."
Virginia will put their six-game winning streak on the line against Maryland in a three-game series starting on Friday at Davenport Field. Maryland will be looking to repay Virginia for a series sweep last year in College Park.
Zimmerman likes the team's recent performance going into the Maryland series.
"We're ready to play here in the ACC," Zimmerman said. "I think we're ready to get back in the ACC and do some damage"
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