Bears Take Advantage of Cavs’ Miscues for One-Run Win

April 10, 2008
BOXSCORE  

Wise, Va. – On a beautiful spring night for baseball, Pikeville College took advantage of three UVa-Wise errors in two innings for four runs and held on to edge out a 5-4 victory.

Jorge Laboy (Woodbridge, Va.) was the lone multiple hit Highland Cavalier (17-16) with three hits including a double. John Bigley (Woodbridge, Va.) laced a two-run double and Josh Verts (Winchester, Va.) doubled and scored twice. Brad Robbins (Big Stone Gap, Va.), Brad Austin (Hillsville, Va.) and Luis Roa lined singles.

After a scoreless first, Ryan Chapman singled home Chris Rakes for the game’s first run. The Bears (2-16) added two more runs off a pair of Cavs’ errors to make it 3-0. The visitors increased the lead by another tally, 4-0, off a third UVa-Wise miscue in the top half of the third.

With Verts and Laboy on base, Bigley pounded a double to left field to plate both runners to cut it to 4-2 in the home third.

Pikeville added a needed insurance run in the top of the sixth when Brandon Fleming singled through the left side to score Rob Stacy to extend the lead to 5-2.

In the bottom of the seventh, Laboy led off by walking and Verts doubled off the left center field fence to score him. Three batters later, Matt Duffy (Martinsville, Va.) drove a deep sac fly to center to score Verts for a 5-4 game.

The score did not change into the bottom of the ninth when Laboy had an infield single and Robbins was intentionally walked. Bears’ reliever Jeff Grieme completed the save by retiring the final two Cavs’ batters for the team’s second win of the year.

UVa-Wise freshman reliever Preston Smith (Bristol, Va.) had his best outing of the year. He went five innings, allowed three hits and one earned run while walking one and striking out six.

The Highland Cavaliers will next travel to the 12 th-ranked Union College Bulldogs in an Appalachian Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday starting at 1:00 p.m.