After a back-and-forth 11-inning affair against William & Mary in which freshman outfielder Mike Papi delivered a walk-off hit, the Cavaliers (5-1-1) walloped Monmouth (3-3) in the schools' first-ever meeting. Virginia out-scored the Hawks 38-6 in the sweep as their bats erupted for 18 runs Friday, seven more Saturday and brought out the brooms Sunday with 13 more in the finale.
"What I like from an offensive standpoint is our ability to score runs from different points in the lineup," coach Brian O'Connor said. "I think it's been pretty spread out and our guys are playing with something to prove."
The Cavaliers flashed their offensive firepower from a variety of sources as they racked up 44 hits, batted .393 and scored nine and seven runs in a single inning Friday and yesterday, respectively.
Meanwhile, a Virginia pitching staff which was granted a large margin for error needed little of it. Junior Branden Kline, senior Scott Silverstein and junior Whit Mayberry each made quality starts, and the bullpen allowed just two runs in 7.2 innings of relief.
"I'll take a game like this any day when we're in control the whole time and everybody's productive," junior centerfielder Reed Gragnani said after a 4-for-4 day yesterday. "We had some guys that were a little uptight, a little nervous last weekend, and to get home [and] get comfortable was huge for us."
Monmouth jumped on Kline, Virginia's ace, in the first frame of the series opener Friday while a steady drizzle fell at Davenport Field following a 72-minute rain delay. The Hawks scored two in the top of the first, but as soon as the skies cleared, the Cavaliers shone.
Virginia set the tone for a series-long offensive outpouring Friday by knocking around heralded junior starter Pat Light early, scoring in each of the first three innings. Light, the No. 25 college draft prospect according to Baseball America and the Hawks' ace, allowed a solo home run to junior third baseman Stephen Bruno in the first and hit freshman outfielder Derek Fisher in the third to force in a run. Freshman catcher Nate Irving followed Fisher with the first hit of the inning, a three-run double which stretched the lead to 7-2.
"Last weekend and in the weekday game I think we were playing a little uptight," junior shortstop Chris Taylor said. "It was good on Friday facing a really tough pitcher in Pat Light that we came out swinging the bats early and I think that really got our confidence going and kind of set the tone for the weekend."
Light settled down by pounding the strike zone with 95-mile-per-hour heat to go five innings, allowing five earned runs and striking out just one batter.
Once Light left, the Cavaliers terrorized a pair of Hawks relievers in a nine-run sixth. They sent 14 batters to the plate during the inning en route to an 18-4 drubbing.
Kline settled down after the shaky first inning, allowing three runs on six hits with five strikeouts in 6.1 innings to earn the win.
Silverstein fooled the Monmouth hitters all Saturday afternoon, striking out a career-high eight batters and allowing just three hits and two walks in seven strong innings. Gragnani drove home three runs with a double in the sixth inning, and Silverstein allowed just one run to pick up the win.
Mayberry made three straight quality starts when he took the hill yesterday, tossing six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and no walks to earn the win.
"I think our pitching is starting to show what they're capable of doing as they gain some experience," O'Connor said.
Monmouth sophomore lefty Andrew McGee kept Virginia off the board for the first three innings yesterday by locating his pitches but was chased from the game in the middle of a seven-run fifth inning. McGee was charged with seven earned runs and took the loss.
Taylor capped the Cavaliers' performance yesterday after sophomore lefty Stephen Frey relieved McGee. Taylor launched a three-run jack past the "Hoo Zone" bleachers in left-field to cap a six-run, two-out rally in the fifth.
"I got a pitch up and got a good swing on it," Taylor said. "That's the first time in my career I've known it's a home run right when I hit it. Usually I'm sliding into second base or running as hard as I can around first but this time I knew."
Senior first baseman Jared King continued his torrid start with a 5-for-9 weekend which raised his batting average to .500 and extended his team-leading RBI total to 11, two off the ACC lead.
The Cavaliers relied on strong contributions from several freshmen across the lineup. Papi scored five times and stole two bases in his first full weekend at Davenport Field. Fisher went 4-for-4 with a double, triple, three RBIs and three runs Friday. Brandon Downes, the outfielder and backup catcher who was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 2011 draft, got the start at DH yesterday and crushed three extra-base hits in five at-bats, including a go-ahead double in the fourth inning and a two-out, two-RBI triple in the seven-run fifth inning. Behind the plate, Irving played error-free ball and drove in four during a 4-for-6 weekend.
"Every year there [are] certain freshmen that need to step up and show that they're capable of contributing right away, and they certainly are," O'Connor said. "There's no question that those freshmen have ability, they just need to gain some experience."
Virginia looks to extend its home record to 5-0 when it takes on Liberty tomorrow at 3 p.m. The Cavaliers are 24-14-1 against the Flames all-time.
"When guys put on this uniform now, the expectations are to win," O'Connor said. "The players have to be able to handle those expectations. And I think that they're doing a very good job, and I think we're going to
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