University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
VMI
Spiders Drop Home Opener To VMI, 17-7
02/23/2005 | Baseball
Feb. 23, 2005
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The University of Richmond baseball squad gave up multiple runs in three innings, including an eight-run sixth, falling to VMI, 17-7 Wednesday night at Pitt Field. The loss, Richmond's sixth in home-openers over the last 21 years, moved the Spiders to 2-2 on the season while the Keydets improved to 2-7.
VMI posted the first run of the game in the second using a sacrifice fly to centerfield from B.T. Good.
The Spiders rallied to score two in their half of the third. With two outs, freshman Austin Reilly garnered a walk and later scored on a looping single to left by freshman Joe White. Junior Ben Zeskind, who finished the game going 3-for-5, drove White in from second with the first of his three singles.
The Keydets retook the lead in the fourth by posting three runs on three hits and two Spider errors. Freshman David Solan made his second appearance of the season to begin the inning and allowed a walk and a single to put runners at first and third with no outs. Good came through again to drive in one, while Shane Geisslinger drove in the Keydets' second run of the inning.
Richmond answered back in the bottom half with a five-run total to retake the lead, 7-4. Sophomore Matt McKenna and junior Andrew Justice recorded back-to-back singles with one out. Freshman Drew Poiter drove in McKenna with a bases-loaded single to left, then Reilly recorded his first career hit, a 2-run double to right-center, to score Justice and freshman Alex Hale. White was responsible for the next two Spider runs when he singled to left, but was thrown out at second trying move up on the throw.
After a scoreless fifth VMI posted eight runs on five hits and never looked back. The inning included 14 batters and 11 baserunners. Richmond's pitchers, Solan, junior Wyatt Stewart and sophomore Sean Radke, issued five walks and one hit batter. The Keydets later scored four in the seventh and used a solo homerun in the eighth to move their total to 17 runs.
The Spiders sent 15 to the plate in the next four innings, but did not move a runner past second. Stewart suffered the loss after giving up four runs on two hits, while not recording an out. VMI's Jimmy Thoms picked up the win with 2.0 innings of no-hit work and one strikeout.
The Spiders will return to Pitt Field Saturday, Feb. 26, when they host the Delaware Blue Hens in a noon doubleheader. The Spiders then wrap up the series with Delaware Sunday, Feb. 27, with a single game at 1 p.m.
Game Notes:
- Junior Ben Zeskind extended a 10-game hit streak which dates back to the end of the 2004 season by going 3-for-5.
- Junior Andrew Justice (2-for-4) has now recorded consecutive multi-hit games for the first time in his career. He went 2-for-4 in the Spiders last contest (Feb. 20 against The Citadel).
- Freshman Austin Reilly (1-for-2) garnered his first career hit in the fourth inning with a two-run double.
- The Spiders are now 14-6-1 in home-openers under head coach Ron Atkins.
- Richmond has now lost it last two contest to VMI, making it 100-33 all-time against the Keydets.
