University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
George Washington- A-10 Championships
Baseball Defeats George Washington, 6-4
05/18/2002 | Baseball
May 18, 2002
NORWICH, Conn. -- Top-seeded Richmond put up three runs in the second and third innings in earning a 6-4 win over third-seeded George Washington at the Verizon Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship at Dodd Memorial Stadium on a cold Saturday afternoon. The win, Richmond's tenth straight, matches the squad's longest win streak of the season.
The Spiders (48-8) will host the final round of the Championship, beginning on Thursday, May 23, at 2:00 p.m. The game times for the best-of-three series for the remaining two days are 2:00 on Friday, May 24 and 1:00 on Saturday, May 25 (if necessary). The opponent is still to be determined. Admission to Pitt Field is free.
Richmond opened the scoring with three runs in the top half of the second inning. Junior first baseman Vito Chiaravalloti (Middletown, N.J.) and sophomore catcher Adam Tidball (Bethesda, Md.) led off the inning with walks. Freshman Brian Ruscello (Bethel Park, Pa.) then reached on a throwing error by George Washington third baseman Matt Krimmel. Freshman John Cronin (Branford, Conn.) registered an infield hit that plated Chiaravalloti while Tidball scored on an error charged to shortstop Jake Wald. The Spiders closed the scoring on the inning as Ruscello crossed home on a wild pitch by Colonials' starter Chris Worth. The Colonials stormed back with a run of their own in the bottom of the second.
Richmond plated another three runs in the top of the third. Junior third baseman David Reaver (Union Bridge, Md.) led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on sophomore Matt Craig's (Dallas, Texas) bunt. Tidball cleaned the bags, ripping a triple down the left field line. Ruscello then scored Tidball with a sacrifice fly to give the Spiders a 6-1 advantage.
George Washington answered with three runs of its own in the bottom of the third. Two consective singles set the stage for centerfielder Tony Dokoupil who brought both runners across on a hit up the middle. An error by Craig off the bat of Joe Michalski enabled Jeff Fertitta to score, pulling the Colonials to within 6-4.
A combination of two Richmond pitchers did the rest. Sophomore Thomas Martin (Charlottesville, Va.) improved to 6-0, hurling six innings of eight-hit ball while striking out eight. Freshman Tim Rice (Brookfield, Conn.) came on to pitch the final three innings, holding the Colonials hit-less while striking out one.
