The Cavaliers, led by freshman starter Jake Cowan and junior DH Greg Miclat, put a four-game losing streak behind them with a 6-0 shutout Tuesday afternoon against Longwood.
Cowan, who pitched a career-high 6.1 shutout innings against the Lancers, struck out five batters while only giving up one walk. Virginia coach Brian O'Connor was impressed by the freshman's effort.
"The story of the game for me was Jake Cowan; it all starts on that mound," O'Connor said. "He came out and pitched a great, great ballgame. We needed that after a tough weekend" against Florida State.
Cowan not only pitched well, but also provided a solid defensive effort, including a play in the third inning when he fielded a ground ball and made a quick throw to first baseman Jeremy Farrell to prevent loaded bases.
Miclat also played a large role in the Cavaliers' victory, hitting 4-for-5, scoring three runs and stealing two bases.
In the first at-bat of the game, Miclat got on base with a bunt. He then advanced to third with the assistance of a walk and a wild pitch and scored the Cavaliers' first run off a ground-out by junior second baseman David Adams.
"Bunting is pretty much always in our game plan; if it's available I usually take it," Miclat said. "The first baseman was playing back. I even showed [intent to bunt] to try and bring him in. I wanted to hit, but he stayed back, so I just got it done."
Miclat also scored in the third inning to put the Cavaliers up 2-0 against the Lancers, and the Cavaliers would never slip from this lead.
Cowan, who boasts a 1.31 ERA and a 2-0 record, prevented the Lancers from gaining any momentum. When reliever Matt Packer took over in the seventh inning, he continued the shutdown pitching and allowed the Cavaliers to win their second shutout of the season. Packer, a sophomore, struck out four batters and gave up no hits. He improved his ERA to 1.08 on the season.
The Cavaliers solidified their lead in the seventh inning. The two runs Virginia scored in the inning were prefaced by an unusual turn of events that put men on second and third. With no outs, freshman center-fielder Parker stood on third while Miclat was on first. Miclat and Parker are two of the quicker Cavaliers, as Miclat leads the Cavaliers in stealing, while Parker has the third most steals.
On a pitch that struck out sophomore shortstop Tyler Cannon, Miclat dashed to second, but Longwood catcher Topher Ellis had Miclat beat, throwing the ball to second baseman Brant Jones. Miclat turned around, looking to return to first. Jones chased after him but, unable to catch Miclat, tossed the ball to first baseman Casey Havers.During this, Parker left third for home. When Havers got the ball, he noticed Parker trying to score, so he tossed the ball home to prevent Parker from adding the run. At this point, Miclat turned back around and easily made it to second, while Parker turned around to return to third. The catcher threw the ball to the third baseman, but Parker slid foot-first into third to be safe. The net result of the many passes between the infielders was a single stolen base, Miclat from first to second.
With two runners in scoring position, Virginia was able to capitalize on the situation, sending both runners in. Adams batted in the first run, and the second was driven in off an error from a hit by freshman left-fielder Dan Grovatt.
Aggressive base-running allowed the Cavaliers to score two more runs in the eighth inning. This time, a fluke attempted steal worked against the Cavaliers, as Miclat was tagged out trying to return to third after making contact with Longwood shortstop Scott Kimble. No interference was called by the umpire. Though O'Connor disputed the call, the out stood, and Virginia's inning ended two batters later.
Liberty comes to Davenport Field Wednesday at 6 p.m. to wrap up the Cavaliers' two-game midweek homestand against in-state opponents.
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