University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
*at Temple
Richmond Baseball Sweeps Second Atlantic 10 Doubleheader Of Its Season, Downing Temple
03/26/2005 | Baseball
March 26, 2005
Richmond's pitchers limited Temple to one run on 10 hits in two games to sweep an Atlantic 10 doubleheader Saturday against Temple, 1-0 and 3-1 (8 innings) in Philadelphia, Pa. The Spiders' moundmen struck out 20 Temple hitters, including 11 in game two of the twinbill. Richmond moves a game over .500 with the two wins, 11-10, and remains undefeated in the Atlantic 10 at 5-0. Temple drops to 7-10 overall and 0-2 in the Conference.
GAME 1
Richmond's Rob Berzinskas, who started for the Spiders in game one, retired six of the first nine he faced including strikeouts in the third. The Spiders were stifled offensively after getting runners to first and second with no outs in the first. Richmond failed to score in the first and then managed only one hit over the next five innings.
Berzinskas, who tied a career-high with nine puchouts in the game, got out of jams in the fourth and sixth with groundballs and a strikeout in the fifth. The Spiders broke the deadlock in the top half of the seventh when freshman Joe Mahoney singled to lead off the inning. A walk to sophomore Matt McKenna put runners at first and second with one out. Freshman Alex Hale hit a hard groundball to the right side of third which allowed Mahoney to move to third on the fielder's choice. Freshman Austin Reilly came to the plate with runners at first and third and two outs and delivered an RBI-single through the left side.
In the bottom half of the seventh Berzinskas allowed a lead-off single then with the help of Hale behind the plate caught the runner off first. An ensuing fly out gave the Spiders two outs with nobody on. Berzinskas walked the next hitter forcing Richmond to go to its bullpen and senior John Cronin. The closer walked the first he faced, but got the next hitter to fly out ending the game.
Berzinskas picked up his second win of the season, working 6.2 innings and surrendering just four hits. Cronin picked up his third save of the season by working the final third of the seventh inning.
Game Notes
- Sophomore Rob Berzinskas struck out a career-best tying nine batters. He has now fanned 47 in 38.1 innings this season.
- Richmond's shutout was the first since George Washington failed to score against the Spiders, May 27, 2004.
- Freshman Austin Reilly game-winning RBI was the second of his career.
- Berzinskas' shutout was the first combined blanking of his career and his first shutout of the season.
- Senior John Cronin, who wrapped up the combined shutout, now has 18 saves in his career.
GAME 2
The Spiders took their first lead in the third when Hale was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Reilly moved him to second on a sac-bunt and sophomore Anthony Sandstrom put the finishing touches on the station-to-station effort with an RBI-double down the leftfield line.
Richmond's starter, junior Ja Jones, moved through the contest by striking out a total of six through just four innings. He went on to fan a career-high 10 in his 6.1 innings of work. After working into the seventh, he allowed a lead-off single, then a sac-bunt forced him out of the game. The Spiders opted for junior Derek Duclos with one out and a runner at second. The reliever gave up an RBI-double to tie the game, but got out of the jam by getting two of the next three to groundout.
Richmond wasted no time to get its lead back in the top half of the eighth. Reilly reached on an error and was moved to second on a sac-bunt by Sandstrom. Junior Ben Zeskind came to the plate with Reilly at second and one out and garnered an RBI-triple to leftfield. Junior Andrew Justice provided the insurance run with an ensuing RBI-single to left, but was thrown out at second trying to stretch the base hit into a double.
Duclos made things interesting by loading the bases with two outs in the bottom half of the eighth, but got Dan Brady to fly out to left for the final out of the game.
Duclos picked up the win, his first of the season, by giving up two hits in 1.2 innings and striking out one. Jones finished with one run on four hits and two walks, but did not figure in the decision.
Richmond will go for the sweep Sunday, March 27, when it wraps up the three-game set with Temple at noon at Ambler Field in Philadelphia, Pa.
Game Notes
- Richmond is now 3-0 in extra-inning games this season.
- Junior Ja Jones struck out a career-high 10, but did not figure in the decision. It marked the first time a Spider struck out 10 or more batters since Thomas Martin fanned 11 against George Washington, May 27, 2004.
- Junior Ben Zeskind recorded his second game-winning RBI of the season and also extended an eight-game hit streak with his RBI-triple in the eighth.
