University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Rhode Island
Baseball Falls To Rhode Island in A-10 Championships
05/29/2004 | Baseball
May 29, 2004
Courtesy of the Atlantic 10
NORWICH, CT - Freshman righthander Steve Holmes allowed two earned runs over 8 1/3 innings and catcher Josh Nestor went 3-for-4 as Rhode Island advanced to the finals of the 2004 Atlantic 10 Championship after defeating Richmond, 10-3, Saturday evening at chilly Dodd Memorial Stadium.
The top-seeded Rams (35-19-1) will face No. 4 St. Bonaventure (29-20) at Sunday, with the first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m. A URI victory over St. Bona would set up a winner-take-all contest, which would begin at 3:30 p.m.
With Rhode Island holding a 1-0 lead after the top half of the first inning, Richmond jumped on Holmes for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first on a run-scoring single by senior David Thomas, scoring A.J. Board and Bobby LeNoir. URI retook the lead in the top of the second as Mike Rainville and Josh Nestor opened the inning with singles and later scored on shortstop Joe Viscuso fielder's choice and a sac fly by freshman Dave Savard. The Rams tacked on two runs in the eighth as A-10 Player of the Year Dan Batz opened the inning with a picture-perfect bunt single. After stealing second, Rainville followed with a RBI single and would later score on a single by Nestor. URI added three more runs in the top of the ninth, which provided Holmes with more than enough support.
"When I got out there, I didn't feel to comfortable," said Holmes. "This was a much bigger game than I ever pitched in before. I can't thank our offense enough for getting me some run support and giving me a lift."
The Lincoln, RI native scattered eight hits and fanned 11, tying his career-high, in improving to 5-1 on the year. Sophomore Tom Venedam got the final two outs of the game to nail down the win.
"You had a young guy that did not buckle under the pressure and he hasn't all year," said Rhode Island head coach Frank Leoni. "Anytime you get a freshman to come out throw like that, it's a huge bonus."
Rainville and Nestor combined for five of Rhode Island's 12 hits on the evening, while freshman Ryan Cunningham collected two hits and drove in a pair of runs.
"That's been the story of our season. You don't win 35 games by having one or two guys carry the load," said Leoni. "You really need to get contributions from everyone."
Richmond, which was vying to defend its 2003 league title, was plagued by five errors, which led to five unearned runs. Senior Nate Kuchta suffered the loss for the Spiders, yielding five runs (three earned) on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. LeNoir went 3-for-5 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot, while Thomas added two hits and two RBI.
URI and St. Bona will each be vying for its first-ever A-10 title, with the Rams taking all three games during the regular season. The Bonnies defeated Rhody on Thursday afternoon, 7-6 in 11 innings.
"We're going to have to swing the bats because we will be a little bit short on pitching," said Leoni when asked about Sunday's A-10 showdown. "We will have to play good defense as well. The Bonnies will scrap and claw and fight to the end and we will have to match their intensity."
