Laboy and Duffy Pound Ball to Lead Cavs Past Lions

April 25, 2008

Dayton, Tenn. – In the regular season finale, Jorge Laboy and Matt Duffy pounded out a combined 12 hits, six doubles, a home run and drove in nine runs to help UVa-Wise sweep host Bryan College in baseball Friday. The Highland Cavaliers run-ruled the Lions 17-7 in seven innings before taking a 4-2 late game in the Appalachian Athletic Conference pair.

With the sweep, UVa-Wise completes its regular season 26-19 and 10-8 in the AAC, good enough for no worse than fifth. Bryan fell to 19-27 on the year and 6-12 in the AAC. The Cavs can move up one spot if Bluefield College sweeps Montreat College on Saturday.

Laboy (Woodbridge, Va.) lined two doubles in a four for five game with four rbi before connecting on the game-winning home run in the late contest. Duffy (Martinsville, Va.) was a hot hitting seven of eight with four two-baggers and four rbi.

Edwin Narvaez had four singles and two rbi while Adam Skoranski (Cheyenne, Wyo.) homered and singled. Luis Roa and Mike Lang (Fredericksburg, Va.) added three singles apiece.

Brock Funk (Fries, Va.) earned his fifth win of the year by going the first four frames in the opener before Scott Cole (Stuart, Va.) picked up his first save of his career covering the final three innings. After a solid opening five innings, D’Andre Bussey (Va. Beach, Va.), who allowed two runs, three hits and six strikeouts, saw David Jones (Amelia, Va.) pitch the final three frames for the win. Jones struck out three and gave up just one hit.

Game 1

After falling behind 2-0 in the first, UVa-Wise went to work. The visitors scored single runs in the second and third before exploding for six tallies in the fourth to go in front 8-2. Josh Verts (Winchester, Va.) started the fourth with a double as part of a seven-hit at bat which included a two-run double by Duffy.

Bryan pulled back into the game with four runs in the home fourth and added a single tally in the fifth to make it 8-7.

The Cavs gained some breathing room with a pair of scores in the sixth before having an even bigger outburst with seven runs in the seventh. Skoranski led off with a solo homer, his third. Lang, Brad Austin (Hillsville, Va.) followed with singles and Roa sacrified both runs to second and third. Laboy sliced a two-run double before Duffy and Robbins make it back-to-back-to-back doubles to complete the run barrage and 17-7 score.

Cole held the Lions scoreless in the bottom of the seventh for the 17-7 final.

Game 2

The Cavs pushed across one run in the top of the first and added a second tally in the fourth for a 2-0 lead. Bussey held Bryan in check until the home team put the first two batters on base in the fifth. David Jones came on in relief but the Lions tied the game 2-2 in the at bat.

With one out in the top of the sixth, Laboy connected on what would be a game-winning homer. Duffy doubled as the next batter and scored on a single by Narvaez to make it 4-2. Jones blanked Bryan over the final two innings for the win.

UVa-Wise will now be off until Wednesday when its opens the AAC Tournament. The Cavs will face Montreat College Cavaliers starting at 9:00 a.m. at Kingsport, Tenn.’s Hunter Wright Stadium.

Game 1

VAW 011 602 7 17-22-1
BC 200 410 0 7-9-1

VAW-Funk, Cole (5) and Skoranski
BC-Bosage and Brown

WP: Funk (5-4); LP: Bosage; SV: Cole (1)
VAW Xtra BHits:
2B: Laboy 2, Duffy 3, Robbins; HR: Skoranski

Game 2

VAW 100 102 0 4-9-2
BC 000 020 0 2-4-0

VAW-Bussey, Jones (5) and Skoranski
BC-Zimmerman and Brown

WP: Jones (4-4); LP: Zimmerman
VAW Xtra BHits:
2B: Duffy; HR: Laboy