University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
George Mason
Richmond 10, George Mason 7
03/19/2002 | Baseball
March 19, 2002
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - University of Richmond junior Vito Chiaravalloti went 2-3 with two home runs and six RBI to lead the Spiders to a 10-7 win against George Mason in college baseball action at Pitt Field.
Despite being out hit 11-6, Richmond took advantage of four Patriot errors to capture its 16th win of the season. Sophomore Matt Craig stroked his ninth multiple-hit game by going 2-3 with three runs scored and one RBI.
The Patriots (6-14) scored two on sacrifice flies in the first. Matt Cooksey doubled and Jeff Palumbo singled to get on the base paths. Evan Howard brought home Cooksey and Brian Anderson sacrificed Palumbo home to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Richmond responded with two runs in its half of the first when Chiaravalloti belted his fifth home run of the season, over the right field wall. Craig, who had doubled with two outs, came home on Chiaravalloti's second home run in as many games. It extended his hit streak to 16 games.
The next time Chiaravalloti, the reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, stepped to the plate the bases were loaded with Spiders. He delivered a grand slam over the left field wall that gave the home squad a 6-2 lead. It was Chiaravalloti's team-high sixth home run of the season.
Spider starter Mike McGirr (4-1) settled and held the Patriots scoreless in the next four innings. Richmond increased its lead to 8-2 with two unearned runs in the fifth. Craig and Brian Ruscello reached on walks and then scored when Jim Fasano's pop up was dropped by GMU shortstop Jeff Palumbo.
Mike Taylor brought home George Mason's third run on a sacrifice fly when he plated Howard in the sixth to cut the Richmond lead to 8-3. In the bottom of the sixth, after one out Craig drove home Bryan Pritz with a sharp single to center field. The Spiders then loaded the bases and scored their 10th run when Ruscello was hit in the leg.
Four singles and another sacrifice fly gave the Patriots three runs in the seventh and trimmed the lead to 10-6. Howard's single through the left side plated two and Palumbo's sac fly accounted for the other run. George Mason continued its comeback with its fifth sacrifice fly of the afternoon to close the gap to 10-7 in the eighth.
In the ninth, George Mason threatened with runners at first and second and none out. Spider reliever Derek Duclos struck out Howard before giving way to left-hander Tim Rice. Rice hit Brian Anderson square in the back. Richmond right fielder John Cronin came to the mound with the bases loaded and one out. He got Taylor to fly out to right field and then struck out Robbie Robertson looking to end the game.
The Patriots' Matt Cooksey finished the day 3-4 with two runs scored. Starter Chris Murray suffered the loss after allowing eight runs, five earned, in 4.2 innings.
Richmond (16-2) returns to action at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20 when its hosts Radford at Pitt Field.
