The Virginia baseball team has been rolling over opponents during the month of April and Tuesday night was no exception.
The No.15 Cavaliers (33-7, 14-4 ACC) extended their school record win-streak to 13 games with an 8-3 victory over the visiting Norfolk State Spartans (14-25, 7-7 MEAC).
Virginia stayed true to their aggressive approach by swiping four bases in the contest. Speed, pitching and hard defense have been the benchmarks of the team's season.
"The players love to play that style of baseball," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said. "Rather than standing around and waiting for a three-run home run, it's very aggressive and puts pressure on the other team... it's a fun way to play the game."
The Cavaliers were able to knock Spartans starter Joseph Weaver out of the game in the fourth inning. Weaver fell to 0-3 on the season and gave up six runs on seven hits and three walks while hitting three Virginia batters. The Cavaliers finished with ten hits on the day while limiting Norfolk State to five.
Junior starter Josh Myers retired the first ten batters of the ballgame and worked his way through a shaky 4th inning, in which he gave up two home runs in a span of three batters, to notch his first career win. Meyers finished his second career start by allowing three earned runs and four hits with no walks and three strikeouts in six innings.
"I kind of lost focus in the fourth inning," Meyers said. "I relaxed a little bit but I realized that I couldn't do that and I really have to fight hard the whole game."
Junior Adam Laird struck out four while working a perfect the 7th and 8th and senior Alan Zimmerer closed out the game. The bullpen allowed only one hit and no runs in the final three innings.
On the offensive side, Virginia was led by seniors Matt Street and Joe Koshansky. Playing right field and hitting leadoff, Street spent the game wreaking havoc on the basepaths and finished with two hits, three stolen bases and three runs. Koshansky played first base and, as he has done oftentimes this season, helped supply the team's power with his team-leading twelfth home run of the year. The two-run, third-inning blast over the right field wall was part of a four run third inning that put the Cavaliers ahead for good. Koshansky finished 2-5 with 3 RBI. Virginia's first seven batters all got a hit during the contest, and all of them but Street knocked in at least a run.
Virginia hosts in-state rival Virginia Tech tonight before traveling to South Florida to take on perennial powerhouse No. 4 Miami in a three game series.
"We have proven to the national baseball people that we belong and one weekend isn't going to change that," O'Connor said. "But we'll turn our attention to Miami, one of the top five teams in the country... What an unbelievable opportunity for our kids to validate what we've been doing."
The Virginia Cavaliers are playing rejuvenated baseball and enjoying one of the most successful seasons in school history under new head coach Brian O'Connor. If this team is able to go to Miami and not only play competitively, but win, there is reason to believe these Cavaliers can beat any team in the nation.
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