University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Massachusetts
Baseball Sweeps UMass, 7-2
03/24/2002 | Baseball
March 24, 2002
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Powered by back-to-back home runs from junior Vito Chiaravalloti and sophomore Adam Tidball in the seventh inning, the University of Richmond completed a three-game series sweep against Massachusetts with a 7-2 win at Pitt Field. It was the Spiders' inaugural Atlantic 10 series.
Richmond (19-2, 3-0 Atlantic 10) outhit the Minutemen, 10-6, to earn its fourth consecutive win. Massachusetts (5-10, 0-3 Atlantic 10) suffered its eighth consecutive loss.
Junior Mike McGirr (5-1) earned the win for the Spiders after allowing two runs on six hits in a complete-game victory. Chiaravalloti walked three times before belting the game-winning homer. Tidball finished the day 3-4 with one RBI and one run scored. Sophomore Bryan Pritz (2-3, two RBI) and junior David Reaver (2-4, one RBI, one run) also collected multiple-hit games for Richmond. Reaver extended his hit streak to 14 games.
The Spiders got on the board first when Pritz sacrificed home Chiaravalloti in the second inning. Pritz plated Chiaravalloti again in the fourth to give Richmond a 2-0 lead. The Spiders squandered a bases loaded and one-out opportunity when right fielder John Cronin grounded into an inning ending 4-6-3 double play.
UMass tied the game with a pair in the sixth. Mike Athas led off the frame with a solo shot to left field. Later, Aaron Senez singled to right, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Mike Kulak single to left.
The Spiders powered their way to four runs in the seventh on the strength of back-to-back homers from Chiaravalloti and Tidball. Chiaravalloti belted his team-high seventh home run, a three-run blast, to right center that broke a 2-2 tie. Tidball followed with his third home run of the series, this one to center field. All the runs came with two outs off starter Jesse Santos who entered the game with a 0.72 ERA. Santos slipped to 2-1 with the loss.
Richmond's final run came in the eighth when Reaver singled to center and scored Jim O'Leary. The home squad led 7-2 heading into the ninth. McGirr then retired the Minutemen one-two-three to earn his fifth win of the season.
Richmond returns to action at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26 when it hosts James Madison at Pitt Field. That contest will be the first of the season to be broadcast on the radio and internet. The game can be heard locally in Richmond on WVNZ-AM (1320) and worldwide on the web at www.radiorichmond.com.
