Cavs Ride Seven-Run Third to Win but Commits Six Errors Late Against Lions

April 28, 2007
Game 1 Boxscore

Game 2 Boxscore

Wise, VA – UVA-Wise plated seven runs in the third inning on the way to a 13-6 opening baseball win over Bryan College before committing six errors to fall 5-3 in the last contest.

The Highland Cavaliers wrapped up its regular season 28-13-1 to equal the most victories in a season under 11-year head coach Hank Banner. UVA-Wise finished with an 11-7 conference mark and wait to see its seating for the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament on May 2-4. Bryan is now 23-26 and 5-13 in the league.

John Bigley (Woodbridge, VA) possessed the hot bat of the day. The junior produced six hits with a four for five opener with his fourth home run and three rbi. He added two more hits with a double in the late game.

Andrew Anderson (Richmond, VA), Brad Robbins (Big Stone Gap, VA) and Matt Hall (Hillsville, VA) pounded four hits apiece on the day. Anderson had two hits in each game with two runs batted in. Both Robbins and Hall had all four of their hits in the first game with a double and two rbi each.

Jorge Laboy (Woodbridge, VA) had the lone other extra base hit with a double in the first contest. Matt Sinnes (Roanoke, VA) hurled six scoreless innings of relief for Robbins in game one, allowing just six hits and fanning four to improve to 3-1.

Bryan came out swinging in game one. The Lions scored one time in the first and three more to open a 4-0 lead. Bigley led off the home second with a home run to left field before the visitors added another pair of scores in the third for a 6-1 score.

Hall and Laboy singled and Edwin Narvaez walked to start the UVA-Wise third. After a foul out, Bigley singled down the right field line to plate two runners. A Robbins single, a bases loaded walk to Alan Stoupa (McLean, VA) and Mike Lang (Fredericksburg, VA) ground out scored one run each. Hall added a two-run double to right center to complete the seven run frame for the Cavs first lead of the day, 8-6.

Sinnes came on in the fourth to hold the Lions scoreless over the final six innings while the Cavs added two in the fourth, one in the fifth and two more in the seventh for a 13-6 victory.

In the late game, Bryan took advantage of six UVA-Wise miscues to lead 4-0 before adding one final earned run in the top of the seventh for a 5-0 score.

With two on in the bottom of the seventh, Anderson drove in one run with an infield single before Clay Christian (Wise, VA) drove in a second run with a hit down the right field line. A wild pitch scored Anderson to make it 5-3 before the Lions enticed ground outs to the next two Cavs hitters.

The pitching trio of David Jones (Amelia, VA), Brock Funk (Fries, VA) and Josh Verts (Winchester, VA) allowed just one hit apiece and one earned run in the game while fanning 12 Lions’ batters of the late affair.

The Cavs will now await its opening round opponent in the AAC tournament starting Wednesday at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, TN.