Feb. 25, 2017 Box Score
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Senior Tom Marcinczyk clubbed a home run to give Rutgers baseball the lead in the first inning, but No. 13 Virginia came back to win, 12-4, in the middle game of the series Saturday at Davenport Field. The start time of the contest was pushed back two hours and 15 minutes due to an afternoon thunderstorm.
Marcinczyk also added an RBI double later to finish 2-for-4 with two runs and two knocked in. Junior Milo Freeman, who is hitting 8-for-17 on the season, also kept up his hot hitting by collecting more two hits and an RBI. Overall, RU totaled eight hits, as sophomore Nick Matera contributed a multiple-hit outing with two singles.
On the mound, sophomore Serafino Brito (0-2) did not walk a batter, but was charged with five earned runs allowed in five innings. Sophomore Ryan Wares followed out of the bullpen and worked an inning, while freshman Joe Neglia recorded four outs in relief after that. Junior Jake Yanez finished up by retiring two batters without allowing a run in his Rutgers debut.
RU (1-4) scored first for the fourth-straight game on Marcinczyk's solo home run to the right-field bleachers in the first inning. It was his first long ball of the season and 13th overall. However, UVA (6-0) plated two in its first at bat, including one unearned tally. The hosts would put single runs up in both the second and third to pull ahead, 4-1.
The Scarlet Knights would chip away with two in the fourth inning. After senior Mike Carter worked a leadoff walk and advanced on a wild pitch, Marcinczyk lined an RBI double to left-center. He would then score two batters later when Freeman ripped a ball down the third base line into the corner for another RBI double to make it a one-run game.
In the fifth, Virginia would plate three on four hits and added two more in the sixth to go up by six.
RU pushed across one in the eighth to make it 9-4. Freshman Kevin Welsh drew a walk, ran to second on a passed ball and advanced again on a single by sophomore Jawuan Harris. After a pitching change, Welsh scored on a wild pitch. UVA would add three in the bottom of the eighth to set the final score at 12-4.
Evan Sperling (2-0) earned the win for the home team with four strikeouts and three runs permitted in a six-inning start. Virginia scored in six different innings and totaled 15 hits offensively, totaling five unearned runs due to six RU miscues.
The series finale is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. from Davenport Field.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding baseball, follow the program on Twitter (@BaseballRU), Instagram (@rutgersbaseball), Facebook (/BaseballRU) and Snapchat (rutgersbaseball).
