University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Xavier
No. 19 Baseball Wins Series At Xavier With 7-3 Victory
04/20/2002 | Baseball
April 20, 2002
CINCINNATI, Ohio - The University of Richmond captured the rubber match in a key Atlantic 10 Conference series with a 7-3 win against Xavier at Hayden Field in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Spiders and Musketeers split an April 19 doubleheader, with Xavier winning the first game 2-1 but Richmond winning the second, 2-0.
The Spider offense pounded out 12 hits, while the Richmond pitching staff held Xavier to four. Sophomore Thomas Martin, making his first start of the season, improved to 2-0 after allowing three runs on three hits in 5.0 innings. Juniors David Reaver and Vito Chiaravalloti led the offense by stroking three hits. Reaver also score three times and Chiarvalloti drove in four runs and scored once.
In the first, Richmond (35-6, 14-1 Atlantic 10) struck for two runs on four hits. Reaver extended his hit streak to 34 games before Matt Craig drove a single to center to put runners at the corners with one out. Chiaravalloti then cracked a long fly ball to deep center that kicked off the top of the wall, scoring the runners, and giving Chiaravalloti his first triple of the season.
Richmond added a run in the third when Chiaravalloti's single to left scored Reaver who led off the frame with his 17th double of the season. The three RBI gave Chiaravalloti 50 for the spring.
Xavier (21-18, 11-3 Atlantic 10) tied the game with a three-run fourth. Jay Johnson led off the inning with a bloop double to right field. He came home on an Alec Moss double to right center. After a Mark Andres walk and a wild pitch, runners were at second and third with no outs. Moss then scored on Martin's second wild pitch and Andres crossed the plate on a Matt Tedford sac fly to left field.
Reaver and Chiaravalloti put the Spiders back on top in the fifth. Reaver's second double of the game put him in scoring position for a Chiaravalloti single to right center. Vito's hit chased Xavier starter Jarret Sues. On reliever Kevin Crowley's first pitch, sophomore Adam Tidball belted his eighth homer of the season, a two-run shot into the left field trees, to give the Spiders a 6-3 lead.
A single and two walks loaded the bases for the Musketeers off freshman reliever Tim Rice in the sixth. A bang-bang play at the plate averted any damage as Rice's wild pitch sailed to the backstop where Tidball fielded it and tossed to Rice who tagged out the advancing Musketeer while falling backward.
Sophomore Bryan Pritz gave the Spiders a four-run advantage with his sixth homer of the season, a solo shot, to make the score 7-3 in the eighth. Freshman Derek Duclos pitched a perfect inning and a third before giving way to junior Andy Givens for the ninth. Givens struck out the side to end the game.
Richmond returns action next weekend with another key Atlantic 10 series, at George Washington. The Spiders and Colonials play a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, April 27 and a single game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 28.
