University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
William & Mary
Baseball Drops William & Mary, 7-4
03/13/2002 | Baseball
March 13, 2002
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - RICHMOND, Va. - Every Richmond starter collected at least one base hit in a season-high 16-hit barrage, as the Spiders defeated William & Mary, 7-4, in college baseball action at Pitt Field.
Richmond (13-1) starter Andy Givens allowed three runs, two earned, in 5.0 innings to improve to 3-0 on the season. Freshman Jason Bolinski retired the final batter, with the bases loaded, and earned his second collegiate save.
Junior Vito Chiaravalloti, the Spiders' leading hitter at .373, went 2-3 on the afternoon with a towering home run that proved to be the game-winning hit. That home run also extended his career-long hit streak to 12 games. Sophomore Adam Tidball stroked a game-high four hits, including two doubles that increased his season total to a team-best nine. Freshmen Jim Fasano and Brian Ruscello also collected two hits for the Spiders.
The Tribe took a 2-0 lead after scoring a pair in the second. William & Mary loaded the bases with no out after two singles and a walk. Matt Kirby then grounded a ball to shortstop Matt Craig whose throw to second sailed wide and two runs scored. Mitch Walk then blooped a shot into center field where sophomore Bryan Pritz made a sliding catch and fired home to catch Tim Jones trying to score. Givens retired the next batter on a ground out and the threat was thwarted.
The resilient Spiders took the lead with four runs in their half of the second inning. Designated hitter Chris Dolan belted his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, to begin the rally. After two outs, Pritz singled and scored on a David Reaver single back up the middle. Reaver then scored on a Craig double that hit the bottom of the center field wall.
William & Mary (10-9) threatened in the fourth by loading the bases with two outs. Givens battled John Lentz and struck him out with a high fastball for the final out of the frame. The Tribe did score a run in the fifth when Will Rhymes walked, moved to second on a single, to third on a wild pitch and came home on a Marshall Hubbard ground out. Hubbard finished the day 2-4 with a run scored and one RBI. With a runner at third and two outs, Richmond shortstop Matt Craig made a diving stop on a ball headed to left field and threw a strike to catch Trey Wakefield at first and end the inning.
Richmond extended its lead to 7-3 with three runs in the fifth, the first coming on Chiaravalloti's blast that grazed the top of the trees in left field. After an out, Tidball laced a double down the left field line and scored on a Ruscello single. Ruscello then scored on a John Cronin single to left center.
The Tribe rallied for a run in the ninth and left the bases loaded with a chance to tie. Left fielder Mitch Walk led off the frame with double to left field. He later scored on a Michael Brown single and closed the gap to 7-4. Bolinski replaced sophomore John Cronin and end the game.
Richmond continues its 10-game homestand at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 14 against Virginia Tech at Pitt Field.
