UVa's fast start beats Towson
By Jeff Seidel / Special to the Daily Progress
March 20, 2006
TOWSON, Md. - Virginia coach Dom Starsia set a simple goal for Sunday's game
with Towson - play a strong first half.
The reason for that objective is the Cavaliers have struggled early in several
games this season. But No. 2 Virginia found few problems in the first half of
this game, scoring 11 goals en route to a 14-7 victory over Towson at Johnny
Unitas Stadium.
Virginia improved to 8-0 with the victory, the best start in school history. The
Cavaliers now appear likely to move into the No. 1 spot in this week's national
poll. Maryland held that place last week's, but Bucknell upset the Terrapins and
opened the door for the Cavaliers.
The victory was the 250th of Virginia coach Dom Starsia's college career. He
also coached at Brown from 1983 to 1992 before joining the Cavaliers the
following year and is the school's all-time leader with 149 victories.
Starsia talked with his coaches and players all week about taking command of
this game in the early minutes. The Cavaliers focused on playing well in the
first half and showed Towson (2-3) why they are the nation's top-ranked offense.
"We talked about getting off to a good start," Starsia said. "You come on the
road in a game like this and you just want to start well. Scoring is as much
discipline as anything else. I thought we did a good job shooting the ball
early."
The Cavaliers scored five goals in the first quarter plus six more in the second
period for an 11-1 halftime lead. Virginia held a 26-14 advantage in shots, and
Towson coach Tony Seaman pulled starting goalie Mike DeGroat after Virginia
extended its lead to 7-0 early in the second quarter.
DeGroat made only one save before Matt Antol replaced him. The Tigers had just
that one save in the first half.
"Once the ball started going in for us, it just seemed like it snowballed a
little bit for them and the same for us," Starsia said. "Once that rock started
rolling down the hill, it was tough to pull it back."
Baltimore native Ben Rubeor came home to lead Virginia with two goals and three
assists. Matt Poskay and Garrett Billings both added three goals apiece while
Danny Glading scored twice. Virginia used its strong passing and ability to
control the ball to dictate the pace of the game. Towson didn't have the
quickness to defend the Cavaliers' passing and pinpoint shooting.
Virginia finished with 14 assists and repeatedly created good scoring chances
with patience and good ball movement. Towson also helped the Cavaliers by
repeatedly throwing the ball away, especially in the first half as Virginia took
charge.
"We got everything going in the first half," said Virginia's Matt Ward, who had
three assists. "We were able to control the ball and get the ball on offense. If
we're moving the ball well, we get up on teams."
The Cavaliers haven't had many problems with Towson since resuming the series in
2001. They've now outscored the Tigers by a 72-36 margin as Towson has been able
to get leads in just two of the six games.
The Cavaliers scored three goals in the first six minutes, something that seemed
to quickly deflate the Tigers. Kyle Dixon gave Virginia a quick 1-0 lead on a
12-yard shot 1:55 into the game. Glading made it 2-0 with 10:02 left by scoring
from outside the crease after working his way through traffic near DeGroat.
Poskay then beat DeGroat with a 15-yard shot for an extra-man goal 65 seconds
later. Rubeor and Poskay also added goals in the period. The Cavaliers kept
going in the second period, breaking the game open. Virginia also helped its
cause by playing solid defense. The Cavaliers were perfect on 14 first-half
clears.
"That was exciting for us, we wanted to come out and hit shots early and we did
and that just carried us through the first quarter and into halftime," Poskay
said. "We wanted to come out and get a good start and just go from there. We got
shots on goal, they went in and it carried on from there."
Virginia stretched its lead to 13-2 after three periods, but Towson made it
closer when the benches were emptied in the fourth quarter. The Tigers scored
five goals in the final period but it was much too late.
Adam Hagelin led the Tigers with one goal and one assist.
"They played great," Seaman said. "I told our guys before I think they're the
best team in the country. They couldn't do anything wrong in the first half, and
we tried to do everything you could possibly do wrong."
Cavs grab series sweep
Virginia's late burst earns win over Clemson
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
March 20, 2006
A number of the players are different but the same heroics provided by the
"Cardiac Cavs" of 2004 are back.
After winning 17 games in come-from-behind fashion two years ago, Virginia
rallied on Sunday, like it had on Friday, to beat second-ranked Clemson, 7-4, at
Davenport Field.
Virginia (19-4, 4-2 ACC) completed the three-game sweep of the series, marking
the highest-ranked opponent to be swept by the Cavaliers since they knocked off
No. 4 Georgia Tech in three games at home last year.
Clemson (11-6, 0-3 ACC) continued its poor play against Virginia, losing for the
ninth time in the last 11 meetings.
"Our kids, they find something inside them when they play Clemson," Virginia
coach Brian O'Connor said. "For some reason it has drawn the best out of us. I
don't know what it is, but they seem to raise their game up against them."
Virginia's heroics started in the sixth. Trailing 4-2, the Cavaliers scratched
out a run on an RBI sacrifice fly to center from Jeremy Farrell.
The Cavaliers did the brunt of their damage in the seventh with two outs, just
like they did in Saturday's 10-1 win when they scored nine runs with two outs in
the sixth inning.
After UVa loaded the bases, sophomore Brandon Guyer sent the first pitch from
Clemson reliever Daniel Moskos into right field for a two-RBI single to tie the
game at 4-4.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Cavaliers threw the exclamation point on the
win with a three-run outburst. Tim Henry started the hit parade, driving a
two-out curve ball through the left side of the infield for an RBI single.
The throw to the plate allowed Henry to advance to second, which left the
Cavaliers' leadoff man happily clapping.
"You get to second base and it kind of sinks in a little bit," Henry said of his
game-winning hit. "They had a pitching change and it sunk in a little more."
Brandon Marsh, who went 4 for 5, followed with an RBI single to right that
scooted under the glove of Clemson right fielder D.J. Mitchell and rolled to the
wall. That miscue turned into a three-base error as Marsh circled the bases.
One batter later, Sean Doolittle knocked in Marsh with a double to the wall in
left-center.
"Coach [O'Connor] always says, 'Two-out hits wins championships,'" Henry said.
"That's just soaked into everyone's minds and everyone has really gotten after
it."
Casey Lambert, who got the final out of the eighth inning, retired the Tigers in
order in the ninth, starting an emotional celebration on the field and in the
stands for the season-best crowd of 1,879.
"I remember two years ago when we swept them at home and the house was rocking
at the end. It was like that again today," said Lambert, who got his second win
in three days. "The crowd was into it. Our team was into it, especially with the
way that we battled back at the end.
"We definitely had the momentum in the end and that is what carried me through
the ninth."
After Virginia scored a lone run in the first, Clemson scored two runs in the
second and third innings off southpaw starter Mike Ballard. The biggest blow
came off the bat of Tyler Colvin, who drilled a two-run homer in the third.
Ballard kept the Tigers at bay in the fourth and fifth, before being pulled by
O'Connor for right-handed reliever Michael Scwimer.
"What allows you to come back in a game is for pitching to keep you in the
game," O'Connor said. "We have been doing that and we haven't fell behind too
far to where you are a couple of hits, a walk and an RBI double away from tying
a game or winning a game."
For the game, Virginia slapped out 14 hits, eight more than its counterpart.
Virginia also got 6.1 innings of scoreless relief work, something the Tigers
could have used according to their skipper Jack Leggett. Two of the games in the
series were lost by Clemson's bullpen.
"They pitched a little better in relief than we did and I think that was the
difference," Leggett said. "The starting pitching, really for both teams, was
good all three games. They did a little better job with relief pitching and they
were able to take a little pressure off themselves by getting some runs when
they had.
"You have to give them credit. They played well. They played well all weekend
long."
Virginia, currently in the middle of a 10-game homestand, entertains Liberty on
Tuesday at 6 p.m.
EXTRA BASES: Virginia finished the series having scored 19 runs. It could have
been more. The Cavaliers left 33 runners on base and hit into three double
plays, all of which happened on Sunday. ? Ballard struck out five batters in his
5.2 innings of work, giving the senior 29 on the season. As a team, Virginia's
pitching staff struck out 25 Tiger batters and held the visiting squad to a .175
batting average (17 for 97). ? Marsh, who also had four hits in a game against
Maryland-Eastern Shore, is now batting .517 on the season. ? There was an
interesting call in the Clemson-half of the eighth inning. With a runner on
first, Schwimer delivered a 3-2 pitch to Ben Hall that was called a strike. UVa
catcher Beau Seabury tried to throw out the runner who was attempting to steal
second but made contact with the batter. The umpires, after a lengthy
discussion, called batter's interference and called Mitchell out. "I didn't see
it. I just saw the ball and thought it was a little down but he obviously
thought it was a strike," said Leggett, who is also the team's third-base coach.
"Actually, I was watching the runner so I never saw anything happen."
Kentucky played its best game in a couple months, and it wasn't enough.
The clock struck 12 on the ultimate Cinderella, the Northwestern State (La.) Demons.
Texas rolled into the Sweet Sixteen. Connecticut can shoot some serious free throws. And the other three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament - Duke, Villanova and Memphis - are also just two victories away from the Final Four.
That's all well and good.
The dominant story line for the first week of March Madness was simple, and it's taking place in the most unlikely of locales - Fairfax, Va., Peoria, Ill., and Wichita, Kan.
Somebody needs to tell Billy Packer they play good basketball outside power conferences like ACC, SEC and Big East.
Some CBS suit needs to pull Packer into a classroom and write "Missouri Valley Conference" on a blackboard until he gets the truth though that thick skull of his.
George Mason put it all together and eliminated North Carolina, the defending national champion, with a rousing 65-60 victory on Sunday in Dayton, Ohio.
And the Missouri Valley Conference, which put an unprecedented four teams in the NCAA field, showed its mettle as Bradley stopped Pittsburgh 72-66. That means The Valley, as it's known, has two more teams in the Sweet Sixteen than the Big Ten. Wichita State advanced by holding off Tennessee 80-73 Saturday.
To twist an expression from a scholar for the ages, future Sen. John Blutarsky from "Animal House," here's a summation for the weekend: "Ohio State, I mean, Wormer? He's a dead man. Kansas, uh, Marmalard, dead! Neidermeyer . . . "
Uh, dead.
Sure, the four No. 1 seeds are alive and well. The Big East was as good as advertised, sending four teams to the Sweet Sixteen. LSU and Florida, the best teams in the SEC, are still in the hunt, although the Gators are clearly the better bet to get to Indianapolis for the Final Four.
The paramount story this week, however, will be the fact that the Missouri Valley Conference and Colonial Athletic Association belong, regardless of what Billy Packer or Jim Nantz thinks. They raised a stink when the NCAA selection committee put only four ACC teams in the tournament, and one of those ACC squads whose bubble burst, Maryland, actually lost at home Saturday to the Manhattan Jaspers.
Wichita State, a No. 7 seed from the MVC, drilled Seton Hall and weathered a late challenge by Tennessee. Bradley, which played its way into the NCAAs by winning the MVC tournament, showed plenty of resolve to oust Kansas and Pittsburgh. George Mason University, which wasn't founded until 1957, refused to fold against Michigan State and North Carolina.
This might be the year all four No. 1 seeds get to the Final Four for the first time, but I'm still not entirely sold on John Calipari's Memphis Tigers. Memphis stayed comfortably ahead of Bucknell on Sunday, so most CBS affiliates didn't show any of that game, but the Tigers are clearly an athletic team that could be even better next season.
No, I'm thinking this is the year we finally see a non-BCS team get to the Final Four, something that hasn't happened since the colorful Rick Majerus took Utah to the national championship game in 1998, only to lose to Kentucky.
Over the years, there have been other Final Four interlopers - Billy Donovan and Providence in 1987, Larry Bird and Indiana State eight years earlier, and, of course, Western Kentucky, the beloved alma mater, in '71 - but we usually see the likes of Michigan State, Duke, North Carolina and Kansas on college basketball's grand stage.
Either George Mason, a No. 11 seed, or Wichita State will reach the Elite Eight, because they play one another on Friday in Washington. I'm thinking that will almost seem like a home game for Mason, which is located a mere $7 cab ride from the White House. The winner almost certainly will get Connecticut, which looked almost unstoppable with point guard Marcus Williams running the show.
Bradley and Gonzaga are in the NCAA Oakland regional, and Bradley certainly will have Memphis' attention on Friday night.
Neither Gonzaga or Bradley play football, but they obviously know how to win on the basketball court. Gonzaga's Adam Morrison is a brilliant scorer, but the Zags have other kids who can play.
Maybe I'm being greedy, or overly optimistic, but this needs to be the year. The unknown team crashing the Final Four. I don't care if it's Mason, or Bradley, or Wichita State.
Just so the fans of one of those teams can tell Billy Packer to stick it. Multiple times. Now that would be worth a scalper's price of admission.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Clemson baseball team experienced a lousy weekend.
For the first time in the ACC’s 53-year history, the Tigers started a season by losing their first three league games.
Virginia rallied from a 4-1 deficit on Sunday to earn a 7-4 victory at Davenport Field. The Cavaliers won 2-1 on Friday and 10-2 on Saturday.
“We got swept. ... We are angry, disappointed, displeased. All those things,” Clemson senior catcher Adrian Casanova said. “That’s how it is when you lose.”
The Tigers, who were ranked second nationally last week, looked glum as they boarded the team bus for the six-hour drive back to campus.
“To summarize [the weekend], I wouldn’t say a complete failure, but pretty close,” Clemson senior outfielder Travis Storrer said. “We came up here expecting to win two of three, and we couldn’t even snag one, especially when we had the lead [on Sunday].
“We just got flat outplayed. We got flat out-hit. Our pitching was pretty decent ... but we didn’t back it up with any offense and our defense, at times, let us down, too. No one is happy. No one is feeling good about themselves. We’ve got to do something right now to change this around.”
The Tigers, the ACC preseason favorite, produced six hits on Sunday.
Virginia (19-4, 4-2 ACC) out-hit Clemson 37-17 in 27 innings.
Cavalier coach Brian O’Connor’s teams have won nine of the past 11 meetings against the Tigers, including six in a row at home.
“We expected a battle when we came up here and we got it,” Clemson coach Jack Leggett said. “Obviously, this is disappointing, but give [the Cavaliers] credit. They did what they had to do. ... They got the big hits, the two-out RBIs.”
In the series finale before 1,879 spectators, Clemson (11-6) grabbed a 4-1 lead after three innings thanks to Casanova’s two-run single and left fielder Tyler Colvin’s team-leading fifth homer, a 400-foot blast to right center that also scored Brad Chalk.
After that, three Virginia pitchers shut out the Tigers.
Virginia, which is 13-1 at home, tied the game at 4 with a two-run, two-out single by Brandon Guyer. The Cavs took the lead in the eighth against Clemson relievers Daniel Moskos and Steve Richard.
“We did a good job up to that point, but we played a little tentative in that inning,” Leggett said. “We had a couple of opportunities to make a play, and we didn’t make a play. They took advantage of the extra outs we gave them.”
Tim Henry’s two-out single drove in the go-ahead run. Virginia’s leading hitter, Brandon Marsh, followed with his fourth hit of the game. The line single to right eluded outfielder D. J. Mitchell and rolled way to the warning track, allowing Marsh to circle the bases.
“They capitalized on our mistakes,” Widmann said.
The Tigers return to action on Tuesday, playing host to Elon College.
“We can’t let this (the 0-3 ACC start) leak into Tuesday and Wednesday and next weekend (at home against North Carolina State),” Leggett said. “We have to figure out a way to make ourselves better. We have to learn from this ... and play more aggressively.”
O'Connor makes team in his own image
Barney Breen-Portnoy
There was a major upset that took place this weekend that I am sure no one had
in their brackets and I am not talking about Northwestern State defeating Iowa.
This upset did, however, involve a native of Iowa. Led by Virginia coach Brian
O'Connor, whose hometown of Council Bluffs is located in the southwestern corner
of the Hawkeye State, Virginia's baseball team completed a three-game sweep of
the No. 2 Clemson Tigers. Including last weekend's series at Georgia Tech,
Virginia has now accumulated a 4-2 record over the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the
nation.
With a 19-4 overall record, it is beginning to look as if this year's Virginia
squad might be able to further improve upon the successes of the initial two
years of O'Connor's reign in Charlottesville. It is hard to exaggerate the
incredible job that O'Connor and his coaching staff -- pitching coach Karl Kuhn
and hitting coach/recruiting coordinator Kevin McMullan -- have done in turning
around Virginia's baseball program since O'Connor was hired during the summer of
2003 to replace Dennis Womack. O'Connor's record at Virginia currently stands at
104-39. If Virginia was to make the NCAA Tournament this year, it would mark the
first time in the program's history that the Cavaliers would go to the
Tournament for three consecutive seasons.
The early accomplishments of this season are even more heartening and noteworthy
due to the fact that many of the players who are performing well are those who
were recruited by O'Connor and his staff. During the past two seasons,
Virginia's success was fueled by stars such as Ryan Zimmerman, Jeff Kamrath,
Matt Avery, Joe Koshansky and Andrew Dobies who were all brought to
Charlottesville by Womack. This year, however, the number of remaining Womack
recruits can be counted on one hand and the Cavaliers have not missed a beat.
Recruiting is the key to long-term viability in any college sport and O'Connor
has proven his acumen on the recruiting trail.
Sophomores Sean Doolittle and Brandon Guyer along with freshmen David Adams and
Jeremy Farrell compose a formidable heart of the order for a Virginia team that
has averaged nine runs per contest thus far this season. Adams, who has taken
over the starting role at second base, was highly recruited out of Grandview
Prep in Florida and has lived up to the hype. He is batting in the cleanup
position for the Cavaliers and leads the team with three home runs. Farrell has
posted a blistering .472 batting average and has solidly filled the void left at
third base by the early departure of Zimmerman to the MLB draft.
Another newcomer who has flourished for Virginia is junior college transfer
Brandon Marsh. Marsh spent his first two years of collegiate eligibility at
Young Harris Junior College in Georgia before being plucked away by O'Connor.
The right fielder leads Virginia with a .517 batting average and provided
several key offensive contributions during the Clemson series, most notably
Friday evening's game-winning sacrifice fly as well as four hits in Sunday's
finale.
O'Connor was also able to add speed to his lineup in the form of shortstop Greg
Miclat. Miclat seems to have inherited the role of diminutive middle infielder
from the departed Kyle Werman. Yet, what separates Miclat from Werman is
Miclat's blazing speed on the base path. He is tied for the team lead with nine
stolen bases.
After coaching for two years primarily with players that he inherited, O'Connor
has brilliantly molded a program in a fashion that conforms to his strategic
philosophy -- emphasizing pitching and defense as well as a small-ball offensive
approach.
The mark of a great coach is his ability to recruit in addition to winning ball
games. O'Connor has done both so far and that is something for Virginia fans to
be enthusiastic about.