Following a somber five minutes of silence dedicated to the victims of the shootings at Virginia Tech prior to the start of the game, the Virginia baseball team set emotions aside to put away in-state foe Richmond 12-5.
"Our team, doing what we did with the silence, we're conscious of what's in people's hearts right now," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said. "You feel for people in the situation that they're in. Any support that we can give them we need to give."
On this night, sophomore Greg Miclat left his mark in the history books. Miclat stole his 26th and 27th bases on the season, passing David Stone's all-time Virginia single-season record of 26 bases stolen in 2002. With 15 games remaining this season, Miclat has a chance to set a mark that could stand for quite some time.
"My goal for the season was to break the record," Miclat said. "I'm getting on base, that's the important thing. That's what allows me to steal bases."
Also during the game, senior outfielder Mike Mitchell honored the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first game in the major leagues, played April 15, 1947. Mitchell sported the number 42, Robinson's number, in Virginia pinstripes. Mitchell's performance indeed seemed inspired, as he went four for five and stole three bases.
"I'm just glad I was able to go out there and play the way I did and honor everything that [Robinson] has done," Mitchell said.
The game itself did not start out as a blowout. Richmond drew first blood scoring one run off of starter Jeff Lorick in the first inning. Virginia responded in the second, as sophomore Brandon Guyer singled, extending his hitting streak to 25 games. Senior John Scaglione then doubled down the left field line to score Guyer, knotting the game at one.
The Cavaliers took the lead for good in the third, scoring two runs and adding another two runs in the fourth inning to extend their lead. The Spiders, however, battled back to make the game a close one, beginning with freshman Evan Stehle's solo homerun in the fifth. Lorick, the eventual winning pitcher, then left the game after retiring the side in the fifth inning, allowing just two runs in five innings, providing the Cavaliers with yet another solid midweek start.
"I think he's pitched better and better every time he's been out there," O'Connor said. "This is his third quality start in a row where he's given us a chance to win. He's going to throw a lot of good innings in our uniform."
In the sixth, Richmond used smart base running to tack on two more runs off of sophomore hurler Andrew Carraway. Following a two-out single by senior Alex Wotring, senior Andrew Justice executed a hit-and-run to send Wotring to third. Senior Matt McKenna then singled, scoring Wotring and moving Justice to third. McKenna was then caught in a rundown trying to steal second, but managed to stay alive long enough for Justice to score, pulling the Spiders within one.
Virginia, however, put the game away in the next three innings, tallying two runs in the sixth, three in the seventh and two more in the eighth, putting the game out of Richmond's reach.
The Cavaliers take the field next in a road series at No. 14 Clemson this weekend. With the top seed in the ACC Coastal Division North Carolina losing to lowly Campbell last night, this series becomes an even more vital step for the Cavaliers toward getting a bid to the College World Series in Omaha.
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