University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
UMass (A-10 Championship Series)
No. 18 Baseball Blanks UMass, 8-0
05/22/2003 | Baseball
May 22, 2003
Video: Highlights & interviews from Game 1 between Richmond & UMass
RealVideo
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Spiders' ace Tim Stauffer (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) hurled 8.0 innings of shutout baseball in dreary and drizzly conditions to lead Richmond (45-13) to an 8-0 win over Massachusetts (26-18) in the first game of the best-of-three Atlantic 10 Championship Series at Pitt Field. Senior Vito Chiaravalloti (Middletown, N.J.) highlighted a five-run fourth by ripping a three-run homer in the fourth, establishing a new program record for career runs.
The Spiders opened the scoring in the first frame. Centerfielder Bryan Pritz (Wilmette, Ill.) snapped an 0-for-13 slump by belting a double into left field. Designated hitter Ben Zeskind (Miami, Fla.) followed with an infield single, advancing Pritz to third. Zeskind then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by UMass catcher Tom Ellerbrook, which also scored Pritz. Zeskind crossed home when Chiaravalloti reached on a UMass fielding error.
In the second, shortstop David Reaver (Union Bridge, Md.) stroked an infield single before scoring on a Bobby LeNoir (Wilmington, Del.) sacrifice fly to give Richmond a 3-0 lead.
Richmond finished the scoring in the fourth, with five runs on five hits. Third baseman David Thomas (McLean, Va.) knocked a one-out single down the left field line. LeNoir followed with a consecutive single. Thomas added the first run of the frame on a Pritz RBI-single. The Spiders loaded the bases after Zeskind drew a walk from UMass starter Eric Chown. A-10 Player of the Year Jim Fasano (Horsham, Pa.) added another RBI to his team-leading total on a groundout, scoring LeNoir. Chiaravalloti then launched the two-out, three-run homer over the left field fence to give the Spiders an 8-0 lead.
Chiarvalloti's three-run shot increased his career total to 215, breaking the tie with Nate Rewers.
Stauffer (9-4), the two-time A-10 Pitcher of the Year, lowered his ERA to 1.87 after allowing only four hits and striking out five. Stauffer improves his season strikeout total to 135, just five away from tying his record from last year. Reliever John Cronin (Branford, Conn.) tossed a perfect ninth to combine for Richmond's fourth shutout this spring. UMass's Chown took the loss, falling to 7-4 after giving up eight runs in 7.1 innings.
Richmond and UMass will meet again tomorrow, Friday, May 23 at 1 p.m. at Pitt Field. If Richmond wins it, they will capture the A-10 Championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA's.
