Charlottesville - Number 12 in the country Virginia scored four times in the first inning en route to a 7-2 win over the Liberty Flames Wednesday evening at Davenport Field.
With the loss, the Flames drop to 11-6 on the year. The Cavaliers move to 15-1 on the season.
Liberty staked itself to an advantage in its opening at bat, only to see Virginia erase it in the bottom of the first inning. With one out in the top of the first, second baseman Bryan Aanderud doubled into the right-center field gap and moved to third on a fly out by center fielder Ryan Cordell. Catcher Trey Wimmer followed with an infield single to score Aanderud for a 1-0 edge.
In the bottom of the frame, the first five Virginia hitters reached, leading to four runs. Centerfielder Brandon Downes delivered the big hit of the inning, belting a two-run triple to right-center to give the Cavs a 3-1 lead. A wild pitch then allowed Downes to score, making it 4-1.
Liberty cut the margin to 4-1 with a run in the second before Virginia got one in the fifth and two in the seventh to close out the scoring.
The Flames return home and start Big South Conference play against Charleston Southern Friday at 3. Virginia has a three-game weekend series at Clemson starting Friday.
