Cavaliers beat Marist 9-1

Strong pitching, good hitting, and excellent defense is the recipe for success in Charlottesville. Ok, it's the recipe at every program in America, but UVa does it well.

They did it particularly well on Friday against the Red Foxes putting up 9 runs, holding Marist to a single run, and not committing a single error.

Nathan Kirby continued his Pitcher of the Year campaign by winning his second game in as many starts. He held the Red Foxes to 3 hits over 5.1 innings. The only real blemish came in the 5th when he gave up a solo home run to Marist's catcher. Kirby was also able to strike out 9 and only walked two.

After Kirby was removed, two 1st years took over to close it out. Derek Casey, who some thought would be the 4th starter on the weekend, held Marist scoreless over 2.2 innings while striking out 4 and only giving up 3 hits. Bennett Sousa came on in the 9th and closed out the Cavaliers' 4th victory on the season.

At the plate, the story was the middle of the UVa lineup. While so much of the offense depended on the middle of the lineup last year, it was a question coming into this season due to the departures and McCarthy injury. Well, Pinero, Towns, and 1st year Pavin Smith silenced a few of the doubters today combining to go 7-11 with 6 RBI and 6 runs scored. The highlight of the three had to be Smith's solo Home Run in the 6th. It was the first of hopefully many in Smith's Cavalier career.

The win moved UVa's record to 4-0 on the season. They'll play against Marist tomorrow afternoon, but not after taking on LaSalle in the morning. Let's hope to see a 6-0 record tomorrow night.