No. 11 Baseball Downs Duke, 12-1, to Win Series

Courtesy: Jim Daves/UVa Media Relations UVa celebrates following John Hicks' three-run home run in the third inning.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Robert Morey (So., Virginia Beach, Va.) tossed seven strong innings and Jarrett Parker (So., Stafford, Va.) hit a grand slam as part of a 4-for-6 outing as the  No. 11 Virginia baseball team defeated Duke, 12-1, Sunday afternoon at Davenport Field. The win gives Virginia a 2-1 series win over the Blue Devils. The Cavaliers have won or tied each of their last five ACC series.

Parker also drove in a career-high five runs and scored three times. The grand slam was the first of his career and his 14th home run of the season. Keith Werman (Fr., Vienna, Va.) reached base in all five of his plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored. John Hicks (Fr., Sandy Hook, Va.) added a three-run home run.

Morey (2-0) allowed just one earned run, four hits and two walks while striking out five. Robert Poutier (Sr., Yorktown, Va.) and Brad Grove (Sr., Glen Allen, Va.) each pitched an inning to finish the game.

Jonathan Foreman (2-2), the first of six Duke pitchers, suffered the defeat. He allowed four runs (three earned), four hits and three walks in 2.1 innings. Jeremy Gould had three of the Blue Devils’ four hits.

Virginia (37-10-1, 15-9-1 ACC), which had trailed for the entire series until scoring the winning run in the ninth inning Saturday, got off to a quick start Sunday with a run in the first inning. Parker led off with a single and moved to second when Phil Gosselin (So., West Chester, Pa.) walked. Danny Hultzen (Fr., Bethesda, Md.) sacrificed the runners over before Dan Grovatt (So., Tabernacle, N.J.) grounded out to first to score Parker.

Duke (33-19, 13-14 ACC) responded with a run of its own in the second inning. Gould led off with a double. He moved to second on a groundout and scored on a Will Piwnica-Worms sacrifice fly.

In the third inning, Virginia broke the tie when Hicks launched a three-run home run into the left-field bleachers. It was his fifth home run this year.

UVa tacked on three more in the sixth inning against Duke reliever Will Currier. With one out, Werman singled. He scored when Parker scorched a line drive down the right-field line. Gosselin then walked, prompting a pitching change. Reliever Kyle Butler fared no better, as Hultzen singled in Parker and Grovatt hit a sacrifice fly to plate Gosselin.

UVa sent 10 batters to the plate and posted five runs in the seventh inning, as Parker hit his first career grand slam – a shot to right field – and Steven Proscia (Fr., Suffern, N.Y.) hit into a fielder’s choice to score Gosselin.

Virginia plays at Davenport Field for the last time this season at 7 p.m. Tuesday when it welcomes VCU.