CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. - The Monmouth University baseball team scored two runs by its first three batters of the game, but the University of Virginia answered with seven runs over the first three innings en route to its 18-4 victory, Friday afternoon at Davenport Field. The Hawks, who started the season 3-0 for the first time since 1994, suffers their first loss of the year, while the Cavaliers, who are ranked No. 17 in the USA Today/ESPN, improve to 3-1-1 in the early season.
After sitting through an hour and 12 minute rain delay, Monmouth jumped right out of the gate in the first inning as leadoff hitter Josh Boyd (Port Murray, N.J./West Morris Central) registered his ninth career triple, Jamie Rosenkranz (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township) followed with a double, scoring Boyd, and Jake Gronsky (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) singled up the middle to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead.
UVa responded by knotting the score in the home half of the inning, plating two runs on two hits including a solo home run by Stephen Bruno. The Cavaliers took a 3-2 lead on a sacrifice fly in the second and never looked back.
In the third inning, the Cavs used the benefit of a Hawks' error, a hit batsman with the bases loaded and a bases-clearing double to put increase their lead to 7-2. UVa extended its advantage in the sixth, scoring nine runs on seven hits to go ahead 16-2.
Rosenkranz tallied a RBI-single in the seventh, scoring Kyle Perry (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South), who pinch ran for Tim Bickford (Wallingford, Conn./Mark T. Sheehan) who doubled on the first pitch of the inning. UVa added two runs in the eighth, while Boyd added a sacrifice in the ninth for the Hawks' final run.
Light falls to 1-1 on the season as he worked 5.0 innings for the Blue and White, allowing five earned runs and three walks with one strikeout to his credit. Neil Harm (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert), Reid Van Woert (Johnson City, N.Y./Maine Endwell), Charlie Battis (Hamilton, N.J./Notre Dame), and T.J. Hunt (Wyckoff, N.J./Morris Catholic) all saw action out of the bullpen for the Hawks.
UVa's starter Branden Kline earned his first victory of the season. The righty allowed three runs on six hits with five punch-outs in 6.1 innings.
Monmouth and Virginia will continue its series tomorrow with a 1 p.m. start. Junior Dan Smith (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) has the start for the Blue and White.
