Box Score

Note:  To avoid approaching afternoon rain, the two teams will play game two of the series at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Newcomer Tyler Romanik ripped a single down the right field line with two outs in the ninth inning to drive in the go ahead run and the Colonels held on to beat 15th ranked Virginia on Friday at Davenport Field.
 
The Colonels entered the top of the ninth down 6-4.  Will Johnson and Brenden Overton began the inning with back-to-back singles.  Johnson scored on a wild pitch.  With one out and runners at the corners, Ryland Kerr hit a long fly ball to right field allowing Overton to tag and tie the game on the sacrifice fly.  After falling behind one ball and two strikes, Romanik drove in Chris Botsoe to put Eastern on top 7-6.
 
Max Ford came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth.  The first two batters reached base.  However, Virginia wasn't able to execute the sacrifice bunt and the first out was recorded when Charlie Cody fouled off a bunt attempt with two strikes.  On a ground ball, Daniel Harris IV flipped to Kerr to force out the runner at second base for the second out of the inning.  Cameron Comer then drew a walk to load the bases, but Ford got a ground out to the shortstop to end the game.
 
Nick Howie broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the sixth with one swing of the bat.  Romanik began the inning with a double to left center.  With one out, Howie sent a 2-0 pitch sailing over the wall in left center to put Eastern in front 4-2.  The two-run shot was Howie's first home run of the season.
 
Romanik finished the game 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.  Howie went 1-for-4 with a run and two driven in.  Johnson had two at bats in four hits and scored a run.  Botsoe scored twice and walked once.
 
Justin Novak's RBI ground out in the bottom half of the sixth cut the Colonel lead to 4-3.  UVA had the tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh, but Alex Holderbach cut down the runner attempting to steal to end the inning. 
 
Jake McCarthy's two-out double in the bottom of the eighth tied the game.  Eastern had three attempts at the third out come up just inches short.  Johnson just missed on a diving catch in right field.  Kerr's throw from deep in the hole at short was just a split second late.  McCarthy's game-tying hit down the right field line was just out of the reach of a diving Romanik at first base. 
 
Alex Tappen's single up the middle later in the eighth pushed in two runs to give the Cavaliers the lead.
 
EKU scored twice in the top of the third inning to take a 2-1 lead.  Harris led off the inning with a single to center and Botsoe drew a walk.  Kerr laid down a bunt, and a bad throw allowed Harris to score, tying the game 1-1.  Daniel McFarland followed with a single up the middle to bring home Botsoe and put Eastern on top.
 
A two-out single to center field by Jake McCarthy in the bottom of the fourth drove in the tying run for Virginia.
 
Bryan Quillens (1-0) earned the win after pitching one-third of an inning in the eighth.  Ford walked one and struck out one on his way to his first save of the season.