Virginia takes season opener
By
Al Myatt
©2015 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
GREENVILLE — Virginia's Nathan Kirby
allowed no runs and three hits through seven innings as the Cavaliers
used unearned runs in the fourth and fifth innings for a 3-1 win at East
Carolina on Friday in the season opener for both teams.
Kirby, regarded as one of the top
left-handed major league prospects in the college ranks, struck out five
and walked two. The Cavaliers are ranked No. 2 at the outset of 2015
after finishing as runner-up to Vanderbilt in last season's College
World Series.
It was the first game for ECU alumnus
Cliff Godwin as coach of the Pirates. Last year, Godwin was an assistant
at Ole Miss, which lost twice to UVa in the CWS.
Virginia's run in the fourth came
after a dropped foul ball by the Pirates with two out. Kenny Towns
singled to left with one out and Robbie Coman had a two-out single to
right field. Towns scored from third just before Coman was caught in a
rundown.
An infield error with two down in the
fifth allowed Matt Thaiss to come home for a 2-0 Cavaliers lead. Thaiss
singled off the first base bag to start the inning. He was awarded
second when the ball was ruled dead for hitting a photographer.
Lefty Evan Kruczynski made his first
start for the Pirates as projected opening day starter Reid Love was
sidelined with an injury. Kruczynski did not yield an earned run in five
and one-third innings.
A solo homer to left by Daniel Pinero
in the eighth completed Virginia's scoring. All of the Cavaliers' runs
came with two out.
ECU avoided a shutout in the eighth
as Garrett Brooks reached on an infield single with one away and Hunter
Allen had a ground rule double to right. The Pirates loaded the bases as
Parker Lamm, who had a single and a double in his first two at-bats, was
hit by a pitch.
Jimmy Boyd's sacrifice fly to right
field brought in Brooks. Josh Sborz left the tying runs aboard with a
fly to left. He threw 10 pitches in the ninth to get a save.
The series schedule has been modified
because of cold weather in the forecast for Sunday. A doubleheader
starts at noon today.
PAGE UPDATED
02/15/15 12:00 AM.
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