University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Virginia
No. 19 Baseball Powers Past Virginia, 15-6
04/16/2002 | Baseball
April 16, 2002
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The University of Richmond offense erupted for 15 runs on 18 hits and sophomore Thomas Martin won his first appearance of the season as the 19th-ranked Spiders earned a 15-6 victory against Virginia before 594 fans in UVA Baseball Stadium.
Martin, who missed the entire season to this point after off-season elbow surgery, threw 3.0 scoreless innings before his hometown crowd. A Charlottesville, Va. native and Albemarle High School product, Martin allowed just one hit and struck out two in his eighth collegiate victory. The Spiders also received a positive outing from junior Andy Givens who worked the final two innings, allowing one run on two hits. Givens had missed the past month with tendonitis.
The offense accounted for seven runs in the first three innings and used a six-run seventh to put the game out of reach. Junior Vito Chiaravalloti and sophomores Bryan Pritz, Matt Craig and Adam Tidball all stroked three hits. Chiaravalloti, junior David Reaver and sophomore Chris Dolan added three RBIs while Craig scored four times.
The Spiders (33-4) used five hits to score three runs in the first. Craig singled and scored on a Chiaravalloti double that sailed over the center fielder's head. Chiarvalloti later scored on a Jim Fasano single back up the middle. Fasano then scored the third run of the frame on a Brian Ruscello single to right center.
Richmond struck for three more to take a 6-0 lead in the second. After an out, Pritz doubled and scored on a David Reaver double to left center. The two-bagger extended his hit streak to 30 games, one shy of Sean Casey's record set in 1995. Craig followed with a single through the right side that scored Reaver. Craig later came home on an errant throw by the Cavalier short stop on a routine grounder.
Virginia (19-19) responded with four runs in its half of the second. Andrew Riesenfeld started the rally with a two-run homer that cleared the left field wall. The Cavaliers then scored two more runs on sacrifice flys from Matt Street and Dan Street.
Tidball scored the visitor's seventh run on Reaver's second double of the game in the third. The Cavaliers answered with a run when Chris Sweet scored on a Rob Newton single to center. The Spiders still led 7-5 after three innings.
The middle innings went scoreless, then the Spiders exploded for six runs in the top of the seventh to take a 13-5 lead. Chiaravalloti delivered a two-run bloop single to right and Dolan laced a pinch-hit three-run homer over the left field wall. Reaver knocked in the first run of the frame with a sac fly that scored Tidball.
Virginia got a run back when a David Stone single through the right side scored Newton who had doubled to lead off the frame. Newton went 4-5 in the game with two runs scored and one RBI. Richmond added two more in the ninth for the final count. Craig scored on an error and pinch-hitter Jonathan Rhymes delivered an RBI to account for the final tally.
Richmond and Virginia will meet again tomorrow at 3 p.m. on Pitt Field.
