University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
*Xavier
Richmond Baseball Sweeps Atlantic 10 Doubleheader Against Xavier
03/19/2005 | Baseball
March 19, 2005
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The University of Richmond baseball team remained undefeated in Atlantic 10 opening series by sweeping a doubleheader with Xavier, Saturday, at Pitt Field. The Spiders used come-from-behind efforts in both contests, a 4-3 win in 11 innings in the first, and an 11-10 win in the second to improve to 8-9 overall and 2-0 in the Conference. Xavier drops to 5-13 overall and 0-2 in the A-10 with the losses.
GAME 1
Richmond jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one when freshman Joe White and junior Ben Zeskind led off the inning with consecutive singles. Each later scored, White came home on a single from freshman Joe Mahoney and Zeskind scored on a sac-fly from freshman Drew Poiter.
Sophomore Rob Berzinskas fanned three and walked one through two before giving up Xavier's first run of the game in the third. Back-to-back lead off base-hits put runners at second and third for a sacrifice fly from Jordan Wolf making the score 2-1 in favor of Richmond.
The Spiders could not push anything across as the Musketeers' starter, Mike Creevy, allowed only one hit through the next five frames. Xavier, however, tacked on the tying run in the sixth when a walk was followed by a single and an error to put runners at second and third with one out. A groundout to third allowed the run to score and knot the game a two apiece.
After Xavier took its first lead of the game with a run in the ninth, the Spiders rallied for a tying run in their half of the ninth. Sophomore Vince Riggi, who pinch hit for sophomore Matt McKenna, reached on a single to right then moved to second on a balk. Freshman Austin Reilly moved him to third on a ground out, then Riggi scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
The Spiders and Musketeers failed to score in the 10th before Richmond ended the game in the 11th. Poiter drew a walk with one out then was moved over to second on a sac-bunt from freshman Alex Hale. Xavier elected to intentionally walk Riggi, and Reilly took advantage by driving a double to the right-center gap to score Poiter from second for the winning run.
Senior John Cronin, who came on in relief in the ninth, picked up his second win of the season by working three innings and allowing a run on three hits.
Game Notes
- Sophomore Rob Berzinskas struck out a career-best nine batters, but did not figure in the decision.
- Sophomore Vince Riggi picked up Richmond's second pinch-hit base hit of the season in the ninth. The Spiders are now 2-for-9 when pinch-hitting.
- The come-from-behind win was Richmond's fifth of the season.
- Freshman Austin Reilly game-winning RBI was the first of his career.
- The victory in the final at-bat is the second-straight time the Spiders have recorded a win in that fashion.
GAME 2
The Spiders again took an early lead, this time by posting five runs in the first. Mahoney was responsible for the first two RBI and Riggi later came through for his first RBI of the game. After two outs were recorded Reilly picked up where he left off in the first game with a two-run single to push the fourth and fifth runs across.
The Musketeers scored two unearned runs in the third on three hits and one Spider error to pull within three, but Richmond answered. Poiter sent a 1-2 offering over the leftfield wall for his second homer of the season, a two-run shot, to make the score 7-2.
Xavier scored one in the fourth, three in the fifth and four more in the sixth to take its first lead of the game, 10-7. Richmond could not answer in the sixth, grounding into a inning-ending double-play with the bases juiced.
Freshman reliever Brian Alas got out of a first and second two-out jam in the seventh to strand the runners and give the Spider hitters a chance. Riggi singled to lead off the seventh and was followed by a walk to Poiter. After a pop-out by Hale, Reilly doubled in Riggi to make the score 10-8. Sophomore Anthony Sandstrom followed with a game-tying double to right-center then moved to third on the throw to the plate. White came through on an 0-1 pitch by flying out to centerfield, deep enough for the sacrifice and the game-winning RBI.
Alas picked up his team-leading third win of the season by working 1.2 innings, surrendering one run on two hits, while walking two and striking out two.
Richmond will go for the sweep Sunday, March 20, when it wraps up the three-game set with Xavier at noon at Pitt Field.
Game Notes
- Richmond earned its first three-game series win since May 21-22, 2004 against UMass. It is the first three-game series win at home since May 15-16, 2004 against La Salle.
- Sophomore Vince Riggi tied a career high with three hits in the contest.
- The walk-off sac-fly gave freshman Joe White the first game-winning RBI of his career.
- The walk-off sac-fly also marked the third straight time Richmond has won in the last at-bat.
- The Spiders remain undefeated in Atlantic 10 opening weekend series games, 11-0.
