Funk Run-Scoring Single Completes UVA-Wise Diamond Sweep of Pikeville

April 24, 2007
Game 1 Boxscore

Game 2 Boxscore

Wise, VA – Brock Funk’s sixth inning single up the middle scored the winning run, 2-1, to complete the UVA-Wise baseball sweep over Pikeville. Funk, Seth Frisby and Matt Begley teamed up on a four-hit, 10-0 six innings opening victory for the Cavs.

The Highland Cavaliers took the final two tune-up contests before the final Appalachian Athletic Conference weekend and improved to 27-12-1. The Bears fell to 19-26-1 before they open Mid-South Conference tournament play on Wednesday.

John Bigley (Woodbridge, VA) held the ‘hot bat’ on the afternoon for the Cavs. The junior lined four hits including a two-run homer and drove in three runs. The AAC’s leading hitter, Brad Robbins (Big Stone Gap, VA) added three hits with a double. Catcher Alan Stoupa (McLean, VA) went three for three in the opener with a two-bagger.

Jorge Laboy (Woodbridge, VA) had three hits on the day while Josh Verts (Winchester, VA) laced two doubles in game one. Matt Hall (Hillsville, VA) produced a triple and double and centerfielder Mike Lang (Fredericksburg, VA) had a double and single in the first contest.

Funk (Fries, VA) started the first game and fired two scoreless frames, not allowing a hit and fanning one. His lone hit was the game-winning hit in the late ballgame. Seth Frisby (Yorktown, VA), who won his first game, and Matt Begley (Norton, VA) relieved Funk and both did not allow a run and just two hits.

David Jones (Amelia, VA) bounced back from a tough Saturday outing for three perfect innings in relief, striking out four, to improve to 8-3 in the late game. Preston Landes (Radford, VA), who fanned two, and Matt Sinnes (Roanoke, VA) both posted a scoreless and hitless inning of work.

The Cavs scored in five of six trips to the plate as part of a 10-run, 16-hit first affair. Hall doubled to start the home first and two batters later scored on a Edwin Narvaez (Morovis, PR) sac fly. Verts doubled home Laboy, who singled, for a 2-0 tally. Lang singled home Stoupa, who doubled, for a single tally in the second to make it 3-0.

UVA-Wise kept the scoring coming as Verts led off the third with his second two-bagger before Bigley belted his third homer of the year deep over left field. Hall tripled in two more runs as part of a five-run third, 8-0. The home team added single runs in the fifth and sixth to complete the 10-0 run-rule first game.

Pikeville posted its lone run of the day in the top of the first of game two. Donald Tardy led off with a single and came home on a bases loaded free pass to Obed Quiles.

UVA-Wise tied the game in the fourth. Laboy reached on a throwing error and scored two batters later on a Bigley single up the middle.

The game remained 1-1 until the bottom of the sixth. Laboy and Robbins singled. With two outs, Funk lined a hit up the middle past the pitcher to plate Laboy with what would be the game winner for a 2-1 score. Jones threw a dominate final three innings on the mound including fanning two of three batters in the top of the seventh.

UVA-Wise will now complete its regular season on Saturday afternoon in a 12:00 p.m. twinbill against Bryan College.