Early promotionPosted Jun30, 2006 at 02:10 AMJays relievers Zach Dials and Ted Serro were bumped up to Auburn, Toronto's short-season Class A team, before Thursday's 9-4 win against Burlington. Taking their places are Kyle Ginley, a 17th-round pick who just signed, and Chris Redout, on whom I can find no information. Ginley, one of three Jays pitchers who played for Pulaski manager Dave Pano at St. Petersburg (Fla.) College, was taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the 24th round a year ago and actually agreed on a contract days before he was to go back in the pool for the 2006 draft. But he didn't get it signed in time and was put up for grabs again. TruthinessPosted Jun29, 2006 at 05:03 PMTaking a page from the comedic genius of Stephen Colbert, we present the first installment in our 30-something-part series “Better Know a Blue Jay.” Jeff Gilmore  In the Jays clubhouse before the first home game of the year, a dark-haired young man sat at his locker, listening to his iPod. A thick hardcover book was open in his lap. It’s about American history, Jeff Gilmore explained after taking out his earbuds. This, it bears noting, is a Stanford man. Drafted last year by Seattle in the 31st round, Gilmore was released after allowing 51 runners in 27 innings this spring for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the Mariners’ Class A team. Last summer the 6-foot-2 right-hander went 5-1 with a 3.97 ERA at short-season Everett. “They said I didn’t throw hard enough,” Gilmore said tersely. This summer, he said, he has ever intention of proving the Mariners wrong. Wild indeedPosted Jun29, 2006 at 08:47 AMThe oddest thing about Wednesday's game at Calfee Park wasn't the final score: Burlington 6, Pulaski 5. Dave Pano's Fightin' Jays had to lose some time. And at 5-1, they still have the Appalachian League's best record. Weird arrived in the bottom of the eighth inning after Pulaski outfielder Travis Snider reached on a fielder's choice. Indians reliever Brady Halverson threw a wild pitch and Snider took second. Another wild pitch and Snider was on third base. And then ANOTHER and Snider darted home to cut Burlington's lead to 5-4. I don't believe I've ever seen a base runner take second, third and home on a trio of wild pitches. It's not like Snider, a 5-foot-11, 230-pound teenager, is the fleetest runner. Halverson, for the record, had eight wild pitches in 70 2/3 innings as a senior this spring at Division II Saint Martin's University before signing with the Indians as an undrafted free agent. I bet he didn't see three more coming at once. On the Jays' side of the ledger, it was something of another tough start for right-hander Alex McRobbie (7 hits, 4 runs in 5 innings), though he might have been OK if not for Mike Butia's two-run homer in the fifth. Keep in mind that McRobbie did not play baseball last summer; this was only his second real game since leaving UC-Santa Barbara more than a year ago. Thursday: Jays wrap up this first six-game homestand with a rubber game against Burlington. Look for improving left-hander Francisco Mateo (3 hits, 1 run in 5 innings last week) to get the start against Indians RHP Ricky Fairchild. P-Jays primerPosted Jun28, 2006 at 03:41 PMOK, let’s set the scene first. Who the heck is playing for Pulaski this summer? Are they any good? In order: Keep your eye on RHP Ray Gonzalez, who was sent back for a second go-round in rookie ball only because he broke his ankle early last season. RHP Alex McRobbie quit baseball last year but rediscovered the love, as they say, and could be among Pulaski’s top starters. Among 14 relievers, most of them plucked from the college ranks, RHP Zach Dials and RHP Patrick McGuigan stand out so far as the early-season closer and setup guy, respectively. (And yes, I’m still not sure how to pronounce “McGuigan.” That’s why I write for a living.) The lineup includes stalwart second-year Jays such as C Jonathan Jaspe, 1B Paul Franko, 2B Wes Stone and LF Heliezer Aguilar, plus a handful of intriguing youngsters. OF Victor Santana is a 6-foot-4 Dominican with immense potential and seven early RBIs, while OF Travis Snider, an 18-year-old straight out of high school, made his pro debut last night after being drafted in the first round three weeks ago. Read, see and hear: The team behind the team and the sights and sounds of opening night. Blog Fever spreads to Calfee ParkPosted Jun28, 2006 at 03:03 PMI hate to break up the nice J.J.-palooza y’all have going here, but it’s baseball season – even if Redick’s immediate professional future will be determined in about five hours. Who wants to read about the Pulaski Blue Jays? [crickets] OK, there’s got to be someone, right? Our local Appalachian League affiliate began its 68-game season last week and it’s going swimmingly so far, despite two rainouts. (Get it? Swimmingly? Rain? Ha.) We’ll cover every home game this summer, but with finite space in the ol’ ink-on-paper, the P-Jays seemed ripe for a summer of Blog Madness™. (Or at least Blog Fever, if not outright Madness.) I’ll check back soon with some actual information about the Appy League's last undefeated team and its wacky cast of 30-odd players. Read about last night's 10-2 win and click the comments thingamadoo and tell us whether you care a whit about the Jays. I suppose there’s always more Redick stories we could write instead … Redick responds and other reactionPosted Jun13, 2006 at 01:54 PMDUKE COACH MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: “J.J. knows he made a mistake and regrets it. He represented the very best in college athletics and exhibited outstanding character at Duke the last four years. He is and will continue to be a credit to the Duke Basketball family. As his friend and his coach, he has my total support.” J.J REDICK STATEMENT “I regret what happened last night, and want to apologize to my family and the Duke community for the incident.” ARN TELLEM, AGENT “J.J. is an outstanding student-athlete of the highest character. He is exemplary role model and a credit to his family and the entire Duke community. This is nothing more than an isolated incident. Everyone who has come into contact with J.J. as a student and an athlete knows the quality person he is and will continue to be.” Reporter searches for arrest report on J.J. RedickPosted Jun13, 2006 at 12:46 PMJust spoke to Rob Daniels, Duke men's basketball beat reporter for the Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record, who had just left Greensboro on his way to Durham, N.C. Daniels had called the Durham County Court House in search of an arrest report, but was told it could not be located. "They said the people who knew where it was would be back at 1:30," he said. "So, I got in the car. I didn't want to be leaving phone messages all day and not have anybody call me back." Daniels said it was his understanding that the arrest was made at a sobriety checkpoint and not by a highway patrol. TV station has more on RedickPosted Jun13, 2006 at 11:31 AMChannel 14 in North Carolina has posted additional info on J.J. Redick's reported arrest. They say his blood alcohol content was .11. http://rdu.news14.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=85835 ESPN says Redick arrestedPosted Jun13, 2006 at 11:12 AMMore bad news for Duke and Cave Spring. ESPN says J.J. Redick was arrested early this morning on a charge of DWI. Here's a link to what ESPN has reported so far. undefeatedPosted Jun12, 2006 at 04:13 PMI was in the gym yesterday and saw the back of a guy's shirt that read "still undefeated." I thought that was pretty bold. What team could print t-shirts like that? The answer was on the front of his shirt: Hollins Football. California League All-StarsPosted Jun12, 2006 at 04:08 PMThe California League released its midseason all-star roster Monday (the carolina leaguers were released on friday and are in an earlier blog entry). The Carolina League-California League All-Star game will be played at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium on June 27. California League Catchers AVG 2B 3B HR RBI Infielders AVG 2B 3B HR RBI Designated hitter AVG 2B 3B HR RBI WSET limits World Cup coveragePosted Jun12, 2006 at 11:16 AMDid you tune in to Channel 13 Saturday morning at 9 a.m. expecting to see England vs. Paraguay in the World Cup? Then, did you tune in Sunday at noon ready to watch Mexico and Iran? Well, if you did you were probably one of the many disappointed, if not angry, World Cup fans in the WSET viewing area. Those games were shown on tape delay, but by then it was too late. This weekend ABC will provide live coverage of five World Cup games. Four of them can be seen live on WSET. But the Sunday morning game between Japan and Croatia ... well, you’ll have to stay up till midnight to watch it, or you’ll have to tape it if you care that much. WSET didn't tell me why they made these programming choices. But when I called Monday morning, it was obvious that I hadn't been the first one to call. Also, I got an email from one angry English fan, and a co-worker said her husband was none too happy when he tried to watch the Mexico-Iran game. Titans win girls' soccer titlePosted Jun10, 2006 at 05:19 PMHidden Valley's girls' soccer team beat Charlottesville for the Group AA championship, 3-2, joining the James River softball team as the lone Timesland teams (or individuals) to win state titles this weekend at Radford University. Blacksburg's reign endsPosted Jun10, 2006 at 04:18 PMGroup AA boys' soccer final: Potomac Falls 2, Blacksburg 1 "It was a game worthy of deciding a state championship," Blacksburg sophomore Matt Becker said. Spring Jubilee finals from Radford U.Posted Jun10, 2006 at 02:42 PMFrom softball: Kallie Cox belted an RBI-double in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift James River to a 3-2 victory over Essex for the Group A championship. It's James River's third championship third title in four years. Bri Richie’s one-out RBI single to leftfield in the bottom of the seventh gave Dan River its first Group AA Softball State Championship. The single capped off a two-run rally lifting them to a 3-2 victory over Powhatan. From boys tennis: Loudoun County defeated Hidden Valley 5-4 for the boys' Group AA title. Diskin and Wang of Grafton won the doubles title 6-2, 6-1. George Mason’s Alex Goetting and James An won the championship match in Group A Boys doubles. The duo defeated John I. Burton’s Caleb Crowder and Wes Ward, 6-3, 6-2. From girls tennis: Jamestown cruised to its third straight AA Girls Team Tennis Championship this morning from. In a rematch of last year’s final, Jamestown blanked Hidden Valley, 5-0, winning five singles matches in straight sets. Jamestown 5, Hidden Valley 0 Singles
The Blue Devils won four of the six singles matches to take a 4-2 lead. They clinched it with a victory at No. 2 doubles. Results Gate City 5, George Mason 2 Singles Doubles
And I see a couple of alert readers have spotted a couple of mistakes over the weekend. Thanks for pointing those out. Carolina League All-StarsPosted Jun09, 2006 at 07:29 PM
The Carolina League announced its roster for the Carolina-California League all-star game Friday afternoon. Former Virginia Tech catcher Wyatt Toregas will start at catcher and four Salem Avalanche players made the list: pitchers Chad Reineke and Rodrigo Escobar, outfielder Beau Torbert and catcher Lou Santangelo. Pitchers (W-L-Sv, ERA) Catchers (avg., 2B-3B-HR-RBI) Infielders (avg., 2B-3B-HR-RBI) Outfielders (avg., 2B-3B-HR-RBI) Designated hitter (avg., 2B-3B-HR-RBI) More semifinal results from Radford jubileePosted Jun09, 2006 at 01:46 PMGroup AA girls doubles: Albemarle team of Maurie Carr and Shannon Bayliss defeat Blacksburg team of Lauren Billingsley and Kristin Elvinger 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) Group AA softball: Powhatan 5, Grafton 3; Powhatan will face either Cave Spring or Dan River tomorrow at 11 More Jubilee semifinal scoresPosted Jun09, 2006 at 01:06 PMAA baseball: Turner Ashby 4, Powhatan 0 AA softball: Powhatan 5, Grafton 3 Hidden Valley going strongPosted Jun09, 2006 at 12:24 PMIt's barely past noon, and Hidden Valley already has three victories in the VHSL spring sports Jubilee. Girls soccer semifinals: Hidden Valley 1, Blacksburg 0 Jim Reedy reports that Blacksburg's top player, senior midfielder Marie Pelzer, missed the final minutes of the first half and all of the second half after injuring her right ankle. HV will play in its first Group AA final Saturday at 3 p.m. against Charlottesville or Riverbend (which will play today at 4 p.m.) at Radford U. Records: HV 18-2-4, Blacksburg 17-3-2. Girls tennis semifinal: Hidden Valley 5, Martinsville 0. The Titans will play Jamestown or Handley on Saturday morning at 9 at Radford U. Boys tennis semifinal: Hidden Valley 5, Graham 1. The Titans will play either Courtland or Loudoun County in the morning at 9 at Virginia Tech. Robert Anderson says that Courtland and Loudoun County are locked up in a tight one. And this just in: Essex 7, Page County 5 in Group A softball. Essex awaits the winner of this afternoon's game between John Battle and James River in tomorrow's 1:30 final at Radford U. High school state semis scoresPosted Jun09, 2006 at 09:56 AMUpdates on scores will be here throughout the day as the scores become available. AA tennis finals are inPosted Jun08, 2006 at 06:09 PMHere's the results from Group AA singles at Radford University today. Actually, rain forced the girls final to finish at Virginia Tech. GIRLS Semifinals BOYS Timesland players fall in finalPosted Jun08, 2006 at 01:52 PMRadford's Malik Mubeen and Glenvar's Shari Thornton lost their Group A singles tennis finals Thursday afternoon at Radford University. Mubeen lost 6-2, 6-1 to Logan Bricker of Page County. Bricker has now won three straight state titles. Thornton fell to Tara Sheets of Gate City 6-1, 6-0. The AA matches are ongoing. State tennis finals have begunPosted Jun08, 2006 at 12:53 PMAs of 12:50, the state tennis finals for A and AA boys and A girls were under way at Radford University. The AA girls final was scheduled to start at 1:30. Glenvar's Shari Thornton is playing Gate City's Tara Sheets in Group A girls, and Radford's Malik Mubeen is playing Page County's Logan Bricker in A boys. Bricker is the two-time defending champion. The Timesland players in AA, Hidden Valley's Ed Arsura and Blacksburg's Lauren Billingsley, were defeated in the semifinals. The finals matchups are Yakov Diskin of Grafton vs. Alex Funkhouser of Handley, and Mary Kate James of Jamestown vs. Katelyn Doss of Virginia High. Check in later to find out who wins. Here are the full results from this morning. A Girls Semis AA Girls Semis A Boys Semis AA Boys Semis State tennis singles resultsPosted Jun08, 2006 at 10:57 AMEarly morning rains caused a delay in the start times in the state tennis singles play at Radford University. The matches were scheduled for 9 a.m., but didn't get started until 9:45. The Group A girls semifinal results are in, and Glenvar's Shari Thornton, a transfer from Cave Spring, will be playing in Thursday afternoon's final. She defeated Peyton Curdts of Middlesex 6-0, 6-2. Thornton's opponent in the state final is Tara Sheets of Gate City. Sheets defeated Maryanne Thompson of Wilson Memorial. The boys results just came in, and Radford's Malik Mubeen will be playing for the Group A title today against Page County's Logan Bricker, the two-time defending champion. Mubeen defeated Robert Gaudin of Windsor 6-0, 6-3. Bricker won 6-0, 6-2 against Caleb Crowder of J.I. Burton. In AA boys, Hidden Valley's Ed Arsura lost 6-0, 6-1 to Yakov Diskin of Grafton. Diskin will play today for what would be his third straight state title. His opponent is Alex Funkhouser of Handley. Funkhouser defeated Chad Brady of Graham 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. We know that Blacksburg's Lauren Billingsley lost her AA semifinal to Mary Kate James of Jamestown. When we get more info on the AA girls, we'll post it. It has begun to rain again in Radford. Reporter John Fridley says the finals might be moved indoors to Virginia Tech. We'll keep you posted on those developments. Prep Scores updatePosted Jun06, 2006 at 09:06 PMUpdated list of Timesland state tournament quarterfinal scores: Baseball Group A Softball Group AA Group A
Girls soccer Final thoughtsPosted Jun04, 2006 at 06:27 PMWith all the hoopla that surrounded the Virginia baseball team this spring – and rightfully so – it was more than a tad anticlimactic that the Cavaliers could not break through to next week’s super regionals. Certainly part of the problem this weekend is baseball is a fickle game. No one expected Sean Doolittle and Jacob Thompson, UVa’s top pitchers, would be so ineffective. But then, as coach Brian O’Connor acknowledged, the Virginia offense, for all its notable improvement this season, isn’t yet powerful enough to cover for a pitcher’s off day – or better yet, to create one for most opposing pitchers in the NCAA tournament. The Cavaliers need more hitters. It’s not nearly as difficult to hit home runs in this ballpark as their low power totals would suggest. South Carolina, Evansville and Lehigh proved that this weekend. The bottom line is three years is nothing. O’Connor has totally reshaped the program, with generous financial and administrative support. Baseball’s future is as bright as any sport at Virginia. In case you’re wondering, Evansville has scored six runs in the bottom of the third to take a 6-3 lead against South Carolina. Still two on with one out as USC makes a pitching change. A win would make the Gamecocks champions of this Charlottesville regional, while the Purple Aces, plucky devils that they are, seek to force a winner-take-all title game tomorrow evening. But look elsewhere for that info. I’m going to dinner. Cavaliers speak outPosted Jun04, 2006 at 06:25 PMAfter struggling on the mound yesterday, LHP/1B Sean Doolittle was Virginia’s lone offensive force against Evansville, going 3-for-3 with 1 run and 3 RBIs: “One thing that our offense wasn’t doing today was attacking. When I went up there, I wanted to make sure that I attacked. Not necessarily looking for one pitch in one spot, but try to grind something out and make something happen.” “You can’t take anybody for granted. Last year we played Ohio State – they knocked us out – and they kind of came out of nowhere towards the end of the season. They really got hot late. Evansville’s not a big name, but they sure played like it this weekend.” “We’re going to keep pressing. One of these times, we’re going to get past this first round. They’re 25 guys in that clubhouse that love the game of baseball and I think it showed this year. It’s going to be a team that’s not as loaded with freshmen next year. We’re going to have a little more experience and I think it’s going to be really fun.” “This team’s got a lot to be proud of. … This team was a very good team and they’re an unbelievable group of guys. This is going to be a season I think all of us are going to remember for a long time.” DH/1B Tom Hagan, a Cave Spring High School graduate, closed his college career with a triple in four at-bats. He discussed the fan support the Cavaliers received even in the late innings of today’s 15-4 loss: Coach O'ConnorPosted Jun04, 2006 at 05:37 PMCavaliers coach Brian O’Connor discussed the past, present and future of UVa baseball: Overall reaction: On pitching problems: "Quite frankly, we fell apart."Posted Jun04, 2006 at 05:07 PMAs three of his players left the postgame interview area, UVa coach Brian O’Connor shifted over behind a central microphone and sighed. He considered a question about the Cavaliers’ defense and instead decided to address the real reason his club, seeded first in the Charlottesville regional, had just seen its season end with a 15-4 loss to the Purple Aces of Evansville. “This weekend, we did not pitch like we have all year,” O’Connor said. “Bottom line. You get to this time of the year, yes, you have to swing the bats, but you’ve got to get good, consistent starting pitching. And quite frankly, we fell apart. Not to discredit Evansville at all – you know, I think they’ve got a very good ballclub; I think they can swing the bats – but we did not do the things from a pitching standpoint to give our team a chance to win. And it happened last night too. We walked guys to set up situations and you just can’t pitch yourself out of those situations all the time.” We’ll have more from O’Connor shortly, plus reaction from Sean Doolittle, Tom Hagan and Beau Seabury and other goodies. Cavs eliminatedPosted Jun04, 2006 at 04:23 PMIt’s all about pitching. A team can’t advance through the NCAA baseball tournament unless it has the arms to quiet top offenses and the depth to get through multiple games in the span of a day or two. As play began here at the Charlottesville regional, it seemed Virginia had both. Though the Cavaliers had good bats this season, their program-record 47 wins and top-10 ranking – seventh now after peaking at fifth – came mostly because their team ERA was the nation’s second-lowest. Sophomore LHP Sean Doolittle and freshman RHP Jacob Thompson earned all-ACC recognition, with Doolittle named player of the year for his pitching and hitting contributions. This weekend, though, pitching failed the Cavs. The bats and gloves weren’t great either, but in UVa’s two losses, Doolittle and Thompson submitted two of the region’s three worst pitching performances. The opposing starters, Harris Honeycutt of South Carolina and Scott Souther of Evansville, had two of the three best. The results were an 8-2 loss to USC and, today, a season-ending 15-4 whupping at the hands of the lightly regarded Purple Aces. Hard to figure out. We’ll see what coach Brian O’Connor and the Cavaliers have to say about it. For what it’s worth, Souther went 7 innings, allowing seven hits and three runs (all earned), with two walks and eight strikeouts. Game score: 57 Take me outPosted Jun04, 2006 at 03:28 PMIt's 15-3 at the stretch, Pat McAnaney's pitching for the Hoos and I'm losing my zest for life, despite the lovely weather. Virginia's previous high this season in runs allowed was 11, accomplished in the 11-0 loss to Florida State that knocked the Cavs from the ACC tournament after three games. UVa also allowed 10 runs three times: March 31 and April 1 at N.C. State and May 16 at ODU. UVa, which has used five pitchers in seven innings today, has allowed 23 runs in the past two games, also a season high. BlehPosted Jun04, 2006 at 02:45 PMSad times here at Davenport Field. We had a brief but strong sun shower, Evansville scored two more runs on a suicide squeeze and an error, and an apparent screw-up by home plate umpire by Steve Ricciarini gave the Purple Aces an extra base. On the controversial play, the Aces brought in a runner from third with a suicide squeeze and then another runner came around from second after third baseman Jeremy Farrell's desperate, diving flip to the plate got by catcher Beau Seabury. Or did he? Ricciarini appeared to make no call when the second runner, Kyle Smith, slid in around Farrell, leading the Cavaliers to think Smith missed the plate. As Seabury ran over to tag Smith, Jim Viscomi, the squeeze bunter, took second. But when Seabury applied the tag, Ricciarini signaled that Smith was safe -- a call he should have made when Smith crossed the plate. Viscomi would not have gotten to second. UVa coach Brian O'Connor appeared to make similar points when he came out for a vociferous argument with Ricciarini and third base umpire Terrance Mobley. To no avail, of course. In the scheme of things, it was a minor miscue, but it was the latest frustration for the Cavaliers and the couple thousand Wahoo fans who have watched them miss out on just about every borderline call this weekend, including a host of called third strikes today. No one has won or lost because of the umpires this weekend, but the boys in blue have not been at their best. I'd also like to point out that Viscomi went on to steal third base with a 9-1 lead. I know it's the fifth inning against the region's No. 1 seed and your season is at stake. But that seemed a bit much. It's 11-1 now, by the way, as UVa comes up in the bottom of the fifth. Another strikeout: Greg Miclat, the sixth of the day for Evansville RHP Scott Souther. AutopsyPosted Jun04, 2006 at 02:17 PMVirginia RHP Jacob Thompson is a freshman, but he was a second-team all-ACC pick and took the mound today with a 10-3 record and 2.20 ERA, with 29 walks and 77 strikeouts in 98.1 innings. His line today: 2+ IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO (41 pitches, 24 strikes). Game score: 24. Eep. Evansville still leads, 7-1, as we head to the bottom of the fourth. Do somethingPosted Jun04, 2006 at 02:06 PMSean Doolittle just lofted a double into the jet stream in left-center. It banged off the wall as Greg Miclat, who doubled to start the bottom of third, trotted home with Virginia's first run. "See what happens when you let him swing the bat?" I said. Doug Doughty is distressed, however, because his fajita -- he says they're not "tacos" -- has fallen apart. Alas. Death throwsPosted Jun04, 2006 at 02:01 PMMichael Schwimer is no better than Jacob Thompson was. His first six batters: single, flyout, hit by pitch, walk, two-run single, hit by pitch. It’s 7-0 in the middle of the third against the mighty Purple Aces of the University of Evansville. Get over here soon if you want to see the 2006 Virginia baseball team. It won’t be around much longer. Unless you have ears, that is. They're playing "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" -- or whatever that awful song is called. Belly itcherPosted Jun04, 2006 at 01:46 PMMichael Schwimer is warming in the Virginia bullpen as freshman RHP Jacob Thompson labors through the top of the third. It’s 3-0 now after Jim Viscomi was hit by a pitch, Kern Watts singled sharply to right and UVa catcher Beau Seabury threw the ball into centerfield on a double steal. Make that 5-0 – still with no outs – after a two-run homer by Kasey Wahl. Schwimer is on for Thompson, who threw 26 pitches and had nothing. Virginia, which had the second-best ERA in the nation coming into the NCAA tournament, has gotten zip from its starting pitching. Forget beating South Carolina tonight – can the Cavaliers save their season with a five-run rally against Evansville? But hey, there’s tacos for us here in the press box. That’ll cheer me. Bunting?Posted Jun04, 2006 at 01:22 PMGreg Miclat led off the bottom of the first with a bunt single down the first-base line. (First-base umpire Kevin Daugherty ruled 1B Kasey Wahl missed the tag, which seemed dubious.) Brandon Marsh walked on five pitches. And then the Cavaliers had Sean Doolittle bunt the runners over. Yes, Sean Doolittle. You know, the ACC player of the year, the No. 3 hitter with the .315 average and 54 RBIs. Batting left against RHP Scott Souther, with a noticeable breeze, shortly after the Evansville DH smashed a HR to right. Let him swing the bat. Virginia loves to manufacture runs, but then, if you play for one run, that's all you'll get. In this case, the Cavs got nothing after Souther snagged a smash back through the box by cleanup hitter David Adams and caught Miclat a few steps off third base. A few inches different, and that's a two-run, game-tying single. Brandon Guyer popped up to end the inning and the Cavaliers remained scoreless despite putting two runners on for their Nos. 3, 4 and 5 hitters. Thompson retired the Aces in order on fly balls in the top of the second. Still 2-0 as Tom Hagan reaches on an error to start the bottom of the inning. OopsPosted Jun04, 2006 at 01:10 PMCould Virginia's lack of home runs have more to do with a lack of power hitters than with the dimensions of Davenport Field? Evansville DH Pat Tumilty just homered to right with a man on against UVa RHP Jacob Thompson. It was a well-struck shot of about 375 feet, though the breeze seemed to carry it a bit further than Cavs RF Brandon Marsh expected. Marsh kept it 2-0 by throwing to the plate to get Kirk Bascu, who was attempting to score from second on a sharp, two-out single. Thompson gave up four hits in the first inning, all hit well. Play ballPosted Jun04, 2006 at 12:58 PMThe Cavaliers are wearing white jerseys and pants with blue-and-orange caps for their elimination game against Evansville. They are the home team. We're moments from the first pitch. On the mound: Virginia's Jacob Thompson (10-3, 2.20) and Evansville's Scott Souther (6-1, 1.85). For a primer on how Virginia got here, read Doug Doughty's story in today's Roanoke Times Today's lineups: EVANSVILLE VIRGINIA Back soon. South Carolina 8, Virginia 2Posted Jun03, 2006 at 11:11 PMFreshman right-hander Jacob Thompson (10-3, 2.20), a second-team all-ACC pick, will start for Virginia against Evansville tomorrow at 1 p.m., coach Brian O’Connor said. If the Cavaliers win that game, sophomore left-hander Pat McAnaney (5-1, 2.95) seems the logical option to face South Carolina at 6 p.m. Odds and ends from the Gamecocks’ 8-2 win: - Each team had 8 hits, but UVa’s were all singles. USC had two doubles, one of which led to its seventh run, and most important, the third-inning grand slam by sophomore DH Phil Disher. - South Carolina RHP Harris Honeycutt improved to 6-0 despite needing 125 pitches (66 strikes) to get through 6 innings. - Gamecocks catcher Ian Paxton was 3-of-12 throwing out base stealers this season before nailing 3 of 4 Cavaliers tonight. - After averaging 5.5 strikeouts per game this season (6.1 per ACC game), Cavs hitters struck out 9 times tonight. - UVa announced a crowd of 3,196, a new record made possible by the addition of temporary bleachers between the foul pole and scoreboard out in left field. - Virginia RP Alex Smith struck out the Nos. 7, 8 and 9 hitters in the sixth, his only inning. He threw 14 of his 18 pitches for strikes. - Disher’s grand slam marked the first time he had four RBIs in a game. It was South Carolina’s fifth slam of the season. Technical issues will prevent posting of tonight's interview transcripts. (Damned wireless connection!) Many apologies. Rest assured the Cavaliers will take it one game at a time from here on out. |
