Lorick, Cavs top Flames

By Jay Jenkins

Published: April 9, 2008

You could call it the season’s most important meeting of the minds.
Well, one mind at least.
Trailing by three runs early in Wednesday’s game, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor unleashed a furious message upon his players in hopes of finding energy after a lackluster start.
It worked - Virginia scored seven unanswered runs, rallying past Liberty for a 7-3 win at Davenport Field.
“Our players are 18 to 22 years old and they are not paid professionals, and I wanted to make sure we weren’t sleepwalking through the game,” O’Connor said. “We have 20 ballgames, starting on Friday, and every game remaining on the schedule is an important game for this team.
“Fortunately, we got some big, clutch hits that drove in some runs for us.”
Virginia also got a positive performance from starting pitcher Jeff Lorick, who was making his first start in 14 days after having his previous start scrathed due to soreness in his knee.
After allowing three early runs - two of which were earned - the southpaw settled into a groove, holding the Flames hitless over the final 3.2 innings that he worked.
“The knee was bothering me last week,” Lorick said. “It has only been two weeks, but it seems like eons in a pitcher’s life. We are always itching to get out there.”
For the game, Lorick worked five innings, striking out three batters and getting some help from a 6-4-3 double play in the fourth inning. He improved to 3-1 on the season and, perhaps more importantly, helped Virginia avoid its third mid-week loss in as many weeks.
“In those losses, the pitchers just didn’t stop the bleeding and Lorick certainly did today,” O’Connor said. “He kept the game under control and fortunately our offense rose up and scored some runs.”
The Cavaliers, who had not faced Liberty since 2005, scored three times off starter Tyler Light in the third inning as Tyler Cannon, David Adams and Jeremy Farrell highlighted a four-hit frame.
Light, who worked 3.1 innings, was chased from the contest in the fourth as Virginia scored two runs to take its first lead. Patrick Wingfield, who opened the third with a single, led off the fourth with a double to left field that eluded the glove on a sliding attempt made by Liberty’s P.K. Keller.
Wingfield, who finished 2 for 3 with two runs, scored on an RBI single from designated hitter Greg Miclat, who later crossed the plate when a would-be double play was failed when Liberty second baseman Kenneth Negron’s relay throw to first bounced into foul territory.
“As of recently, Pat’s really been swinging the bat well and we need him to swing the bat well,” O’Connor said. “He is the one senior in that lineup and he had a couple of big hits today.”
The offensive production was more than enough for Lorick, who threw just nine pitches in the third and 16 in the fourth.
“We forced the momentum to come back to our side,” Lorick said. “That really changed the outcome of the game.”
Virginia added two more runs in the fifth off Liberty reliever Andrew Wilson as left fielder David Coleman and pinch-hitter Tyler Biddix connected on back-to-back triples to open the frame.
Two UVa relievers - Jake Rule and Robert Morey - combined to work four scoreless innings of relief. Morey, who retired nine batters, fanning five, which helped drop the rookie’s ERA to 3.66.
“Morey really threw the ball well,” O’Connor said. “His velocity was good and his command of his breaking ball was good.”
The Cavaliers, who are 8-7 in the league, return to action Friday at Maryland (20-14, 5-10 ACC) at 7 p.m.
Extra bases
In the second inning, a throw from the outfield bounced up off the dirt and off the body of Adams, sending the Cavaliers’ second baseman to the ground in obvious pain. The junior remained in the game until the fifth inning, before being removed from the game by O’Connor. “The doctors will check him out this evening and we will see how he is doing,” the coach said. “As the innings moved on he wasn’t doing very well. Hopefully, we get some good news on his condition.” … Virginia has now won seven straight against the Flames.