CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The #4 Virginia Cavaliers scored 11 runs in the third inning and went on to an 18-1 win over the VMI Keydets in NCAA baseball action Tuesday in Charlottesville, Va.
UVA (3-1) jumped ahead with two runs in the first inning, with the key blow being a double by Pavin Smith. The 11-run third inning followed and including six hits, an error and three walks. Smith highlighted the frame with a grand slam as the Cavaliers jumped out to a 13-0 lead.
The home team added three more runs in the fourth before the game settled down a bit in the middle innings. The Keydets got on the board in the eighth, when a David Geary sacrifice fly scored Matt Pita to make a 16-1.
UVA then added two additional runs in the ninth to account for the final margin.
The starting pitchers took the decision, as Adam Haseley pitched 2 2/3 hitless innings with five strikeouts to go to 1-0. Micah Gorman allowed five runs, two earned, in two-plus innings and dropped to 0-1.
Offensively, UVA's Smith went 2 for 2 with six RBI, helped by the grand slam. Jake McCarthy added three hits. No Keydet had more than one hit in the game, although Ryan Smoot did single in the ninth inning in his first collegiate at-bat.
The UVA win snapped VMI's two-game win streak against the Cavaliers.
VMI baseball will return to action Friday, when the Keydets play host to Lafayette in the 2016 home opener at Gray-Minor Stadium. Action gets underway at 3 p.m.
#4 Virginia 18, VMI 1 (Feb. 23, 2016 at Charlottesville, Va.)
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VMI 000 000 010 - 1 4 3 (2-3)
#4 UVA 20(11) 300 02X - 18 18 1 (3-1)
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VMI - Gorman; Lighton (3); Geary (3); Bennett (4); Gomersall (5); Staats (6); Lafin (8) and Maddox.
UVA - Haseley; Coman (3); Sousa (6); Shambora (7); Roberts (9); Thaiss and Novak.
W - Haseley (1-0) L - Gorman (0-1)
HR UVA - P. Smith (1)
T - 3:26 A - 3105
