University of Richmond Athletics
Spider Baseball Travels To No. 20 Virginia For Midweek Showdown
04/25/2006 | Baseball
April 25, 2006
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond baseball (16-24) will be looking for continued success as it travels to 20th-ranked Virginia (34-10) Wednesday, April 26. First pitch at UVa Stadium is slated for 7 p.m., and the game's audio broadcast as well as Gametracker will be available at RichmondSpiders.com. Richmond has won six of its last eight, while Virginia is coming off a series win at Miami, and has won nine of its last 10.
The Spiders have been one of the hottest hitting teams in over the last two weeks. Richmond has raised its team batting average more than 20 points since its last meeting with Virginia, April 5. Coming into this week's contest, the Spider bats are hitting .294, and averaging 10.57 hits per game. Richmond has garnered double-digit hits in each of its last 10 contests, averaging 13.3 per game in the string.
Scoring runs has not been a problem for Richmond either. In each of the last 10 ballgames, the Spiders have scored at least five runs, and as many as 14. Richmond has posted 10-more runs in four of its last five contests.
Senior Ben Zeskind has been a catalyst in the recent offensive surge for Richmond. The Miami, Fla., native has a current 18-game hit streak, which includes five-straight multi-hit games. The senior centerfielder hit .609 in five games last week. The Spiders came from behind to win at James Madison Tuesday, April 18, then topped Liberty at home Wednesday, April 19. Richmond later won two of three Atlantic 10 contests against Duquesne at Pitt Field.
Zeskind recorded an extra-basehit in all five contests and continued a string of homeruns to what is now four homers in the last seven games. Junior Alex Wotring is also pacing the Spiders in hitting. He and Zeskind combined to go 23-for-40 (.575) including four homers, 13 RBI and 20 runs scored last week. The Spiders' top two hitters in the lineup had a slugging percentage of 1.000, walked a combined eight times and struckout only once over the team's recent five contests.
Senior Jason Bolinski will start for the Spiders in what will be a designated staff-pitching contest. Bolinski has a 5.63 ERA in 14 appearances on the season. The Hockessin, Del., native is 2-6 in 2006, and has allowed 34 runs in 38.1 innings.
After its game Wednesday, Richmond will return to Pitt Field to host Saint Joseph's in an Atlantic 10 Conference series over the weekend. The Spiders (7-8) will take on the Hawks (7-8), Friday, April 28 at 3 p.m., before rounding out the series with a single game Saturday, April 29, at 1 p.m. and a final game Sunday, April 30, at noon.
