Yesterday afternoon, the Virginia baseball team remembered why they play. The Cavaliers' 14-5 victory over George Mason showcased the team's potential to relax and to play with confidence. After a week of hard games and team setbacks, coach Dennis Womack described his squad as "down in the mouth." But yesterday, with the help of a solid fan base and a strong wind, the Cavaliers converted frustration into fluidity.
"We were just able to get the ball into the air when we needed to," Womack said. "We really found a way to take advantage of the wind today."
That advantage led to five home runs - including a two run homer and a pair of grand slams - that drove in 12 of the Cavaliers' 14 runs.
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Virginia started strong, with senior third baseman Dan Street and freshman shortstop Mark Reynolds putting the ball over the centerfield wall in the first and second innings respectively. While it looked like the Cavaliers were on their way, a strange twist of fate and a decision by the umpires put a run on the board for the Patriots. When, with one man on, Mason's junior right fielder Mike Taylor slammed the ball out into centerfield, Virginia's junior center fielder Chris Sweet caught it on its way out. Yet in the transition from Sweet's glove to his hand, the ball fell behind the wall. After much contention, Taylor was credited a single and an RBI, cutting Virginia's lead to 2-1.
More confusion occurred in the bottom of the third, which ended when Mason's freshman Matt Cooksey found his way out of a pickle between third and home to score, giving the Patriots two more runs and the lead. GMU drove in one more run in the bottom of the fifth to extend their lead to 4-2.
Yet the Cavaliers found their stride in the sixth, extending the inning to go through their entire rotation. A single from senior second baseman Rob Newton drove in Dan Street and Reynolds, tying the game and leaving two men on. After freshman catcher Scott Headd - who has a starting job with Andrew Riesenfeld out of commission - walked, the bases were loaded when senior left fielder David Stone came to drive it out of the park. The Patriots failed to answer in the bottom of the sixth and going into the seventh, the Cavaliers led, 8-4. After Dan Street singled, Robert Word put up a two run homer in the seventh, and Virgina's lead grew to 10-4.
In the eighth, the Cavaliers loaded the bases again and Reynolds sealed the win with another grand slam. In the ninth, Virginia switched up its line-up, giving more players a look at the action.
"It was really nice," Womack said. "To really get some of those guys that don't play all the time a chance to get in there on a win like this."
Tonight Virginia will face a tough Liberty team. Earlier in the season, the Cavaliers dropped a 7-0 lead to the Flames to lose 9-7, so they will need to stay focused tonight.
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