The Cavalier daily :: Tuesday, May 4, 1971 :: University of Virginia Library

The Virginia baseball team's
struggle to wrest the ACC title
from perennial champion
Maryland will finally come to a
showdown later today. The
Cavs set up the big game by
winning twice last weekend
against ACC teams, 11-1 over
Wake Forest and 3-0 over
about one-half of the Duke
Blue Devils.

The Cavaliers won the Wake
game in the home third, a
deliriously long inning in which
fourteen men batted, ten scored,
nine got hits (all singles) and Wake
chipped in three of their five errors.
Mike Cubbage, four for five on the
day, and Dave Bratt singled twice in
the frame, totalling five runs batted
in between them.

Terry Dan led off the inning
with a walk and scored a second
run when he walked again. Also
getting RBI hits were Billy Hall,
Sammy Beale, Robin Marvin, and
Steve Sroba. Happily for Deacon
starter Roger Sherrill only two of
the runs were earned.

Ed Kihm pitched the first six
innings and collected a win, with
Brian Hilburn entering in the
seventh and pitching well. Sherrill
lost the game for Wake and his first
reliever, Chip Holden, was hit for
Virginia's last run in the seventh
when Marvin tripled and scored on
a fielder's choice.

Wake pushed a run across in the
fourth off Kihm, perhaps a little
cocky with a lead, when Jim
Rausch reached on an error and
scored on a double by Bruce
Bergman, who knew a chance to try
to grab an easy Deac of the Week
title when he saw one.

Sunday's game began with rainy
conditions and a full Duke bench.
At the game's conclusion the sun
was shining brightly and the Duke
reserves came back on the field
after spending most the afternoon
in the rightfield stands.

The Devil bench was cleared by
umpire Bill Biggs when they, along
with catcher Steve Warner,
questioned Biggs' knowledge of the
rules pertaining to catcher's
interference. Biggs put up with
them for a short while but, within a
ten-minute time period, came to
the decision that baseball would be
best served by the removal of all
Blue Devils not on the field of play.

The reserves then trooped into
the stands where they booed Biggs
derisively for the duration. Jonnie
Ingram, a second string
second baseman, from Arlington,
Va., claimed after the game that
Duke's complaint were "mild" and
added a few unkind words for
Biggs.

Concerning baseball, Steve
Brindle impressed the small crowd,
one that included his jaded parents,
by tossing a five-hit shutout and
winning his seventh game. Brindle
fanned six, walked only two and
wasn't in trouble until the late
innings.

Virginia scored single runs in the
first, third, and fourth on rallies that
all began with two out. RBI singles
were stroked by Sroba, Beale, and
Marvin as the Cavs collected seven
hits. Brindle was backed up by
error less ball in the field.

Both Virginia and Maryland
possess 6-2 league marks and
today's game will break the tie.
Maryland dropped a decision to the
entire Duke squad Saturday and
had to go fourteen innings Friday
to stop Wake. The Terps are,
however, far away the ACC hitting
leaders and are paced by
third baseman Dave Sauve and
pitcher Rich Clee, who may start
here.

Rick Spigone is still listed as the
probable Cavalier starter despite a
recent death in his family Other
possibilities are Al Strange and
Dave Lacross. Game time is 2:30
p.m. at Lambeth Field.