University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Va Commonwealth
Baseball Equals Best Start In Program History With 2-1 Win At VCU
03/06/2002 | Baseball
March 6, 2002
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - University of Richmond sophomore Tim Stauffer improved to 4-0 and tossed his third consecutive complete game to lead the Spiders to a 2-1 win against cross-town rival VCU at The Diamond. With the win, Richmond equaled its best start in program history of 10-0 (1947).
Stauffer allowed just seven hits in the ballgame, four of those coming in the final two innings. He struck out six batters to increase his team-high total to 18. The Saratoga Springs, N.Y. native has one shutout to his credit so far this season (7-0 vs. Cleveland State on March 1) and carries a 1.32 ERA in 34.0 innings.
Freshman first baseman Jim Fasano engineered the Spider offense, going 2-2 with both runs scored. The Horsham, Pa. native raised his batting average to .270 and has started all 10 games. Junior David Reaver's sixth-inning single proved to be the game-winning RBI, his first of the season.
The Spiders scored the game's first run in the fourth. Fasano led off the inning with a walk and moved to second when VCU starter Davy Martin overthrew first base trying to catch Fasano after Reaver's bunt popped into his glove. After a groundout, freshman Brian Ruscello drove him home with a hot shot back up the middle. Ruscello was caught trying to advance to second on the throw home and the frame ended.
Stauffer, who carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning of his last start (March 1 vs. Cleveland State), shutdown the Rams until a fifth-inning single by Joe Jackson ended the no-hit bid. Jackson entered the game leading VCU in batting with a .409 average.
Fasano scored the game's second run when he started a one-out rally by driving a double into the left-center gap. Reaver followed with an RBI single up the middle.
After Stauffer retired the first two batters in the seventh, the Rams strung together two singles and a walk to load the bases. Stauffer then induced VCU catcher Jeff Parrish into a ground out to second that ended the threat.
The Rams closed the gap to 2-1 with a run in the home half of the eighth. After one out, lead-off hitter Matt Davis placed a single up the middle. After a Justin Mattison single moved him to third, Davis scored on a Rigo Orozco ground out.
A remarkable ending awaited in the ninth as the Rams mounted a comeback attempt. Nick Jones led off the frame with a bloop double that hit off retreating second baseman Bobby LeNoir's glove. Jackson followed with an attempted bunt that was scooped by Stauffer and the pitcher threw to third and erased the lead runner.
With a runner on first and one out, Robbie Grangnani delivered a single through the middle but Jackson was gunned down at third on a strong throw from centerfielder Bryan Pritz. Gragnani wound up advancing to third following a couple of throws and run-downs. With the tying run on third and two-out, Parrish grounded a shot to third where Reaver made a nice back-handed stab and threw across the diamond for the final out.
The Spiders travel to Raleigh, N.C. for a three-game series with ACC-member North Carolina State this weekend. The series opener is at 3 p.m. on March 8 and is followed by 1:30 p.m. starts on March 9 and 10.
