After only hitting one home run in its first 17 games, the No. 5 Virginia baseball team blasted three long balls to down in-state foe James Madison 7-3 last night.
Junior catcher John Hicks belted the Cavaliers' first home run of the game - and the first at Davenport Field this season - over the right field wall during the first inning off of a fastball thrown by freshman pitcher Tyler McFarland. The next two Cavalier hitters found their way on base following Hicks' rocket before senior first baseman Kenny Swab smacked an RBI-single to center field to give his squad an early 2-0 lead.
The Cavaliers' surge came immediately after coach Brian O'Connor was ejected from the game for vehemently arguing a called out at second base. Sophomore shortstop Chris Taylor failed to reach the base on an attempted steal before a throw from home, according to the umpire, thus igniting the skipper's fury.
"I thought Chris Taylor was in there," O'Connor said. "But it happens. It's part of our game. [The umpires] are not perfect, and we're not perfect as coaches. But we all try to do the best we can."
Hicks' believed that O'Connor's passionate plea for a change to the questionable call served as a great source motivation for the team.
"I think when he got thrown out, we got fired up," Hicks said. "It kind of clicked from then on."
Virginia (17-1, 3-0 ACC) added three more runs in the third inning off Hicks' second home run of the night, which also scored senior left fielder John Barr. McFarland yielded two singles and a walk following Hicks' homer, allowing the Cavaliers to take a cushy 5-0 lead after three innings of play.
"I was seeing it pretty good," Hicks said. "The second [home run] ... I figured I would see some off-speed stuff to start my next at bat. He threw a breaking ball and left it up, and I got a pretty good swing on it. It's always a good feeling to trot around the bases."
The Dukes (13-4, 5-1 CAA), meanwhile, struggled in the early going to earn runs against junior pitcher Will Roberts. Roberts fanned seven batters during 5.2 innings of work and only allowed one home run to the James Madison lineup, which entered the matchup boasting an NCAA-high 38 homeruns on the season.
"Will Roberts has pitched great baseball for us all year," O'Connor said. "He was in command of the game."
Roberts exited the game in the sixth inning with a 5-2 lead, and the Cavaliers' bullpen only gave up a single run during the remaining innings to the potent Dukes' offense. Prior to the loss, James Madison averaged 12.4 runs per game to lead the nation.
"We knew coming in that James Madison had a really powerful offense," O'Connor said. "For us to hold them down to three runs, we have to feel pretty good about that."
James Madison, which was held to seven total hits, tried to stage an improbable comeback in the ninth inning after freshman pitcher Artie Lewicki walked the Dukes' first two batters.
Sophomore reliever Branden Kline entered the game for the save situation, and single-handedly squashed the Dukes' last-second comeback attempt. Kline struck out two of the three batters he faced to close out the victory for the Cavaliers and earn his eighth save of the season.
With the victory, Virginia increased its win streak to a season-high 11 games. O'Connor believes that a victory against a quality opponent like James Madison gives Virginia continued confidence heading into this weekend's pivotal conference series against No. 4 Florida State.
"It's just important that we continue to play well," O'Connor said. "Hopefully [we] keep that positive momentum going into obviously a key ACC weekend series."
Virginia's matchup against the Seminoles kicks off Friday evening at Davenport Field at 6 p.m.
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