University of Virginia Library

Batmen Win Close One

Brindle's Three-Hitter Leads Cavaliers

By BILL BERNO

In a brilliant pitching duel,
the Cavalier baseball team
edged Yale, 2-1, on the
wind-swept U-Hall baseball
field.

The new scoreboard and
public address system were
hardly used as both teams
totaled only eight hits and two
earned runs.

Starter Steve Brindle was in
peak form as he shut off the
Yale batters, allowing three
hits and one earned run in the
eight innings he pitched. He
also struck out five and walked
three men. After yielding a
lead off double to catcher
Leroy Rodman in the ninth
inning, Brindle was lifted by
Coach Jim West in favor of
Mike Judkins.

The Cavs threatened from
the start as Robbin Marvin
opened the bottom of the first
with a ground ball that snuck
through to center field. Terry
Dan followed with a walk, but
Marvin was thrown out
moments later attempting to
steal third. Billy Hall then
smashed a vicious liner through
the box that caught Yale
starter Tom McDonald
squarely in the ribs. That was
all for McDonald, who was
replaced by Howard Palmer.

Palmer quelled the uprising
by inducing Steve Sroba to
ground into a double play. The
Bulldog hurler limited the
Cavaliers to three hits in the
final seven innings. He also
struck out five and walked
only three.

Yale took a 1-0 lead in the
fourth inning when Chuck
Sizemore walked, was
sacrificed to second by Dick
Jauron, and scored on a triple
by first baseman Carl Lutz.
Lutz, whose white shoes and
hunched shoulders gave him a
Joe Namath appearance, was
the only effective hitter for the
Bulldogs, as he singled and
tripled in four plate
appearances.

The Cavaliers had
threatened in the third inning
on a single by Marvin, a walk
to Dan and a wild pitch, but
Sroba went down swinging to
kill the threat.

The Cavs finally did score
in the sixth inning, as Dan
doubled off the left-field fence,
went to third when Hall
grounded out, and scored on a
sacrifice fly by Sroba to deep
center.

In the top of the seventh,
the Bulldogs put together a
mild rally. Lutz smashed his
single to left, but was quickly
eliminated by catcher Al
Bracht, Bracht, who just might
have the best catcher's arm in
the ACC, gunned down Lutz as
he attempted to steal second
on the next pitch. The bullet
peg made it an easy put-out for
second-baseman Marvin.

The deciding run was
scored in Virginia's half of the
seventh. After Jonathan
Williams was called out on
strikes, Charlie Williams
dropped a perfect bunt in front
of the plate. On the second
pitch, Williams stole second off
Rodman, emphasizing the
value of Bracht's arm. Marvin
then hit a slow grounder to the
right of shortstop Charlie
Thorn who let it go through his
legs into left field. Williams
scored standing up.

Brindle continued to mow
down the opposition, but was
having some control problems.
When he allowed a double at
the top of the ninth inning to
Rodman, Mr. West opted to
bring in reliever Judkins to ice
the victory. Judkins was
effective as he walked Jauron
on a 3-and-2 pitch, but gave up
three poorly hit balls for easy
outs to end the game.

In contrast to some earlier
games, yesterday's game was a
tight defensive battle with
neither team able to mount a
big scoring threat. The
Cavaliers only left six men on
base, while Yale stranded four.
The crucial error by Thorn was
the big break for Virginia,
which was stifled most of the
time by Palmer's fine mound
work.

The big story, however, was
Brindle who returned to last
season's 7-1 form after a shaky
start last Saturday at East
Carolina. Teaming with
first-year southpaw John
Cunningham, scheduled to
start today's game, they could
brighten the mound picture for
the Cavaliers.

CD/Saxon Holt

Cavalier Batman Rockets Ball Skyward In Action At New Lannigan Field Ballpark