Virginia 12, Wake Forest 11, 10 innings

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Posted 7:02PM on Friday, May 23, 2003

SALEM, VIRGINIA - Joe Koshansky was ready to be finished for the day and knew he could make it happen with one big swing in the 10th inning. He did, lining a home run to right field leading off the bottom of the 10th Friday and giving Virginia a wild 12-11 victory against Wake Forest in an elimination game that was played like a national championship. ``I want to say that I wasn't (trying to hit a home run), but I was kind of trying to hit a home run,'' Koshansky said. ``I knew I hit it well, but it was a line drive. I wasn't sure if it was going to get out.'' When it did, the Cavaliers (29-24) were still alive, and the Demon Deacons (29-24), winners of three of the last five tournaments, were not. ``That's the way the season's been going,'' said Deacons outfielder Ryan Johnson. ``When you think you're starting to put it together, boom!'' Koshansky, the losing pitcher when the Cavaliers lost to North Carolina State in the first round Thursday, had already hit a foul ball out of the park when he connected against Kirby Wedekind (1-2). Koshansky finished 3-for-4 and scored five runs. Virginia won despite committing six errors, seeing its starter knocked out in a five-run first inning by the Demon Deacons and giving up a go-ahead grand slam to Ryan Hubbard with two outs in the top of the ninth. Matt Laird (1-1) got the victory, working a scoreless 10th as the Cavaliers' seventh pitcher, but called the victory ``a complete team win.'' Coach Dennis Womack, like Laird, paid tribute to the bullpen, which held down Wake Forest and gave the Cavaliers a chance to catch up. ``We have been a resilient team the whole year,'' he said. ``We kept saying the same thing let's put up a zero as we close the gap.'' Hubbard's grand slam off Cavaliers closer Canon Hickman was the first in the tournament since 1995, and Hubbard's fourth home run this year. The Demon Deacons thought they had pulled out the victory. ``It felt pretty good,'' Hubbard said of his shot. ``I've dreamed about that situation. It worked out as planned except we didn't get the win.'' Virginia advanced to play the loser of the winners' bracket game between Florida State and North Carolina in another elimination game. Virginia took the lead in the seventh when three walks loaded the bases. Scott Headd hit a one-out sacrifice fly to centerfield off reliever Adam Hanson and Kyle Werman followed with an RBI single to center. The Cavaliers came to bat trailing 5-0 after Chris Gale failed to get out of an ugly first inning, allowing four hits and five runs. Virginia answered with three runs in its half, including one that scored on a passed ball, starting a trend of sloppiness that got worse. The Demon Deacons scored runs in the second and third, including one on a play where Virginia made three of its six errors, and the Cavaliers scored twice in the third and twice in the fifth to pull even at 7.