Verts Singles Gives UVa-Wise Split of Two Extra Frame Games vs. Montreat

April 6, 2008 
Game 1 Boxscore

Game 2 Boxscore

Wise, Va. – Josh Verts single to left to score a racing Brad Austin with the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth gave UVa-Wise an Appalachian Athletic Conference baseball split with Montreat on Sunday. Montreat scored twice in the top of the 10 th of the opener for a 7-5 win before Verts’ hit gave UVa-Wise a 9-8 late victory.

Verts (Winchester, Va.) had the hot bat on the day for the Highland Cavaliers (15-15/7-5 AAC). He went five for 10 with a double and three rbi. Edwin Narvaez added four hits in eight at bats with a two-run triple. Brad Robbins (Big Stone Gap, Va.) crushed his eighth homer of the year in an first game three-hit, four rbi effort. Jorge Laboy ( Woodbridge, Va.) lined four singles.

Game 1

Montreat (27-10/8-4 AAC) scored a single run the first and two in the second to open a 3-0 advantage. The home team battled back when Robbins lined a two out, two-run double to left center to plate Luis Roa and Austin (Hillsville, Va.), who both singled, to make it 3-2.

Dane Phillips connected on a two-run homer to right for Montreat in the fifth for a 5-2 tally. Robbins cut the margin again for UVa-Wise in the eighth with a two-run round-tripper to make it 5-4.

With two on and two out in the home ninth, Verts singled through the right side to plate Laboy to tie the game, 5-5, for extra innings.

Cam Duckworth belted a home run to centerfield with one on in the top of the ninth for Montreat to pull back ahead 7-5. UVa-Wise loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 10 th but ground into a force out to end the game.

Roa had two hits for the offense while D’Andre Bussey (Va. Beach, Va.) suffered the loss pitching the final four innings in relief of Brock Funk (Fries, Va.)

Game 2

Montreat came out swinging the hot bats to start game two. The visitors scored four times in the first, once in the second and three more times in the third off Cavs’ starter David Jones (Amelia, Va.) for an 8-2 lead in two and half innings.

With two outs in the home third, Narvaez hit a triple to right center off two Montreat outfielders’ diving glove to score two. Narvaez would pull UVa-Wise to within 8-5 when he scampered home on a wild pitch.

Jones settled down and became dominate following the final out in the top of the third. He whiffed eight of his 10 strikeouts, allowed just one single and walked one over the final five and a third innings.

The Cavs trailed by the same 8-5 score heading into the bottom of the seventh. Laboy walked and Verts doubled with one out. Matt Duffy (Martinsville, Va.) singled both home with a hit to right for an 8-7 game. Narvaez and John Bigley (Woodbridge, Va.) singled to load the bases. Mike Lang (Fredericksburg, Va.) would force a Montreat throwing error by the third baseman to allow Duffy to score the tying run, 8-8.

Jones fanned the side in the top of the eighth including the last two looking. Austin started the home eighth with a bunt single and was sacrificed to second by Laboy. Montreat intentionally walked Robbins. The walk gave Verts the honors of lining a solid single to left field to score the speedy Austin for the 9-8 win.