Cavs Prevail Over Tornado, Edged by Union in Loser's Final

May 2, 2008
King Boxscore

Milligan Boxscore

Kingsport, Tenn. – In two exciting Friday games, UVa-Wise prevailed over King College, 5-4, before Union College scored the game's final run in the bottom of the seventh and held off a ninth inning threat for the 8-7 victory in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament loser's final.

The Highland Cavaliers (29-21) season is not over for the second-straight season. With the 3-2 AAC tournament showing, the team will move onto the NAIA Region XII tournament that will be held back at Kingsport's Hunter-Wright Stadium on May 7-10.

UVa-Wise received some very quality performances Friday. Matt Duffy and Brad Robbins produced nine hits from the fourth and fifth spots in the lineup. Duffy had four singles while Robbins doubled twice and singled three times. Josh Verts cracked a two-run homer in the late contest. Brad Austin added five hits with four of them against Union.

Brad Ricker and Edwin Narvaez doubled and singled. Adam Skoranski had two hits and Mike Lang added a double.

vs. King

The Cavs started off quickly with a pair of scores in the home first. Austin singled and Ricker, who reached on an error, both came home in the game. King answered right away in the top of the second with two earned runs to tie, 2-2.

The game remained 2-2 for the next five innings. In the bottom of the seventh, Narvaez doubled to lead off, Adam Skoranski sacrificed him to third before pinch hitter Matt Hall put down the suicide sqeeze to plate the runner.

Ricker led off the eighth with a two-bagger and was sacrificed to third by Jorge Laboy. Duffy singled home Ricker and he would later score himself on a Skoranski sac fly to lead 5-2.

Verts came on in the bottom of the eighth in relief of Seth Frisby, who would get the win. Verts saw King push across two runs before retiring the final two Tornado batters to win 5-4.

vs. Union

After two scoreless innings, Lang doubled in a run and Austin had a run-scoring single to go ahead 2-0. Union plated one in the home third. UVa-Wise received rbi singles by Narvaez and Skoranski to make it 4-1.

The Bulldogs cut the difference to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Union would mount the game's biggest outburst with four runs on just two hits to take a 6-4 lead.

Robbins started off the sixth with a double in the right field corner before Verts belted a no doubt homer to tie the game again, 6-6. The deadlock didn't last long as Brent McAlpin led off the bottom of the sixth with a long home run for the Bulldogs.

The Cavs was able to tie the game again in the seventh as Robbins singled up the middle, 7-7. The Bulldogs manufactured what would be the deciding run in the bottom of the seventh without a hit. David Fairbanks as he beat out a double play attempt to score Josh Eringer to make it 8-7.

UVa-Wise had two runners on two Union errors in the top of the ninth but could not tie the game yet again.