Virginia Baseball: Hoos win opener 10-2 over Liberty

Coming into the year, the talk surrounding the 2017 UVA baseball team was the potent lineup. Well, the offense didn’t disappoint jumping on Liberty early and often to the tune of ten runs. But how about the effort by Daniel Lynch on the mound. The sophomore righthander was fantastic pitching 6.1 innings of one run, four hit baseball. After giving up a run in the top of the second, Lynch was virtually un-hittable facing the minimum 12 batters over the next four innings.

At the plate, Jake McCarthy was the big bat for the Cavaliers going 3-4 with a home run, three RBI, two runs scored, and a hit by pitch. Four Cavaliers had two hits apiece including Caymen Richardson who had a great first outing as a Cavalier starting at shortstop and added two runs scored.

The Hoos jumped on the Flames early when Ernie Clement led off the bottom of the first with a single. He advanced to second on a hit by pitch by McCarthy. Then he and McCarthy scored on Adam Haseley’s double to right. Robbie Coman would produce two more runs when he doubled home Haseley, then score on a wild pitch a batter later.

Liberty would get one back in the top of second after Sammy Taormina doubled and scored on an RBI single by Andrew Kowalo. Virginia would make the score 6-1 after two when Pavin Smith drove in Richardson and McCarthy with a single up the middle.

Virginia added three more in the bottom of the fourth when McCarthy launched Virginia’s first home run of the season. The ball just snuck around the left field foul pole and scored Richardson and Clement on the blast.

The Hoos got their final run in the fifth inning on a Richardson ground out scoring Nate Eikhoff.

Noah Murdock came in to spell Lynch and after getting out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth, would give up a run after giving up a pair of hits and a sacrifice fly. Murdock would pitch 1.2 innings in his Cavalier debut giving up one earned run on two hits, one walk, and one hit by pitch. He would also pick up his first career strike out.

Freshman Bobby Nicholson came on for Murdock to close things out and preserve the win for Lynch. After the first giving up a pair of singles, Nicholson settled down to get a strikeout and induce a 4-6-3 double play to earn the Hoos a 10-2 win.

Virginia returns to action Saturday at 3 P.M. when they take on the weekend’s host The Citadel Bulldogs with Derek Casey getting the start for the Hoos.