University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Massachusetts
Baseball Sweeps First Atlantic 10 Doubleheader
03/23/2002 | Baseball
March 23, 2002
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Playing in its first Atlantic 10 Conference games in program history, the University of Richmond swept an afternoon doubleheader against the University of Massachusetts - 10-0, 11-7 - at Pitt Field.
Richmond (18-2, 2-0 Atlantic 10) combined stellar pitching performances from sophomores Tim Stauffer and Matt McLoughlin with timely hitting to win its first two conference games of the year. Sophomore short stop Matt Craig was the offensive hero in game one, driving in four and scoring three while belting two home runs for the Spiders. Sophomore catcher Adam Tidball did the damage in game two, going 2-3 with six RBI and three runs scored. His two-run homer and grand slam accounted for six of the final seven tallies.
UMass (5-9, 0-2 Atlantic 10) senior Mike Kulak and sophomore Adam Stojanowski led the visitors. They were the only batters to collect hits off Stauffer in the first game, while Kulak followed with a 2-3 performance in the second game, scoring two runs with three RBI. Stojanowski went 2-4 in the second game.
GAME 1
Sophomore Tim Stauffer improved to 7-0 on the season with a complete-game two-hitter. He allowed both hits in the fifth of his 78-pitch gem. It was his fifth complete game and second shutout of the season.
The Spider bats were alive as Matt Craig went 2-2 with two home runs, four RBI and two runs scored. Freshman Brian Ruscello went 3-3 with two RBI and one run scored and David Reaver went 2-3 with three runs scored. Ruscello belted his first collegiate home run in the second that proved to be the game-winning hit.
The Bethel Park, Pa. native lifted his first collegiate home run to left center that gave the Spiders a 1-0 lead in the second. Another home run in the third, a Matt Craig two-run shot, put the Spiders in front 3-0. Craig drove his fourth homer of the season into the center field pine trees that scored Reaver who had led off the inning by being hit in the foot.
The Minutemen got their first runner on in the fourth when lead-off hitter Aaron Senez attempted a bunt hit that Stauffer had trouble fielding. Stauffer responded with two strikeouts to end the inning. UMass stroked its first two hits of the game in the fifth but Stauffer picked off Adam Stojanowski at first to end the frame.
Craig smacked his second two-run homer of the day to center field in the fifth that increased the lead to 5-0. Later in the inning, Richmond went ahead 6-0 when Ruscello singled to right center and scored Adam Tidball who had doubled.
Richmond scored fourth in the sixth and led 10-0 after six innings. Reaver doubled and scored and first baseman Jim Fasano delivered a two-run single in the frame.
GAME 2
In the second game, the Minutemen jumped out to an early lead with four runs on three hits in the first. The big hit of the inning was Kulak's two-run bomb that flew over the left center wall. Richmond third baseman David Reaver responded with his first home run of the season in the home half of the first to cut the lead to 4-1.
The Spiders loaded the bases with no outs in the second. Matt Craig with the bases loaded to end the threat.
In the top of the third, sophomore Matt McLoughlin relieved starter Jason Bolinski who allowed four runs on three hits. The substitution snapped a 71-game streak where the Spider starter pitched at least 5.0 innings.
Richmond chased White in the third when a Fasano single to center scored Tidball. Reliever Julio Ramos balked home Pritz to tie the game at 4-4 after three.
After a scoreless fourth, Adam Tidball for his third home run of the season. Tidball's shot over the left center wall put the Spiders in front 6-4. UMass closed to within one run in the sixth when Kulak singled and came home on a Cullan Maumus sacrifice fly.
Tidball belted his second home run of the game, and his second grand slam of the season, to highlight a five-run eighth. It proved to be Tidball's third game-winning homer of the season. The Minutemen added two in the seventh to complete the scoring, 11-7. Aaron Senez blooped an RBI single in the frame.
McLoughlin earned the win, improving to 2-0 on the season, after pitching 5.0 innings and allowing three runs. Ramos fell to 0-1 after allowing two runs in 1.2 innings.
The Spiders and Minutemen will complete the three-game series tomorrow at 1 p.m.
