University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
*George Washington
Spiders Drop Series Opener To George Washington, 5-4
05/12/2006 | Baseball
May 12, 2006
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - George Washington scored four unanswered runs over the final three innings of play to come from behind and take the first of a three-game set at over Richmond at Pitt Field Friday, 5-4. Richmond scored four runs in the first three, but the Spiders' bullpen allowed four runs on six hits to take the loss. Sophomore Alex Hale will go for the Spiders in game two Saturday at 1 p.m. The Spiders will honor their six seniors prior to game time.
Richmond got the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI-single through the right side from freshman Cameron Brown. Senior Ben Zeskind led off the game with a single up the middle. Zeskind, who finished the day 3-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases, stole second then moved to third on a groundout from sophomore Joe Mahoney. Brown's single then pushed the run across.
Senior Ja Jones worked into the fourth for the Spiders and did not allow a run until the fifth. The senior scattered three hits over the first four innings, and got the Colonials to also strand six in that span.
The Spiders pushed three more across off GW's Derrick Lutz in the third. Junior Alex Wotring and Brown each reached on singles before junior Vince Riggi drove in one with a single to left-center. Riggi was followed by junior Matt McKenna's two-run single to center. The final two runs of the inning were unearned after Brown and Riggi moved into scoring position on a passed ball during McKenna's at-bat.
George Washington scored its first run of the game in the fifth off Jones. The Colonials led off the inning with a single through the left side, then after a stolen base and a flyout, the run scored on a single through the right side. Jones got out of the inning by inducing a 6-4-3 double play, ending his day on the mound. The Brunswick, Ga., native allowed one run, while scattering five hits. He walked three and fanned four over five innings, but did not figure in the decision after leaving with the lead.
Lutz settled in for GW over the final six, limiting Richmond to no runs on three hits. The junior righthander also stranded five Spiders on the bases in that span.
The Colonial bats then went to work on Richmond's bullpen. Senior Jason Bolinski, who came on in the sixth, gave up a leadoff triple, but a big 3-2 double-play helped the Hockessin, Del., native get out of the inning without any damage. Two consecutive leadoff singles in the seventh did not allow Bolinski to fare as well. A sac-bunt put the runners at second and third, before Charlie Kruer drove in his second and third runs of the day with a single up the middle.
After Bolinski finished the seventh, Richmond called on sophomore Brian Alas for the final two innings. A leadoff single, sac-bunt and groundout placed a runner at third with two outs in the top half of the eighth. Alas then uncorked a wild pitch all the way to the backstop which allowed the game-tying run to score. A two-out run-scoring single in the top of the ninth off Alas proved to the be the game-winner, 5-4, after the Spiders stranded Zeskind at third in the bottom of the ninth.
Richmond and George Washington will continue the three-game Atlantic 10 Conference series Saturday, May 13, in a game slated for 1 p.m. Sophomore Alex Hale will go for the Spiders who are now 10-12 in the Atlantic 10 and 20-29 overall. Richmond will celebrate its six seniors prior to the first pitch Saturday.
Game Notes
-- Senior Ben Zeskind finished the day 3-for-4 with three singles. The senior is now seven hits away from equalling the all-time career hit mark of 307 at Richmond.
-- The Spiders have now lost two-straight Atlantic 10 ballgames in their opponents' last at-bat.
-- Sophomore Joe Mahoney scored a run in the ballgame, but had his 13-game hit streak halted by going 0-for-5.
-- Sophomore Brian Alas made his 25th appearance of the season in today's game. The Port Washington, N.Y., native is now five appearances away from equalling the all-time single-season appearance record of 30.
-- Richmond has alternated wins and losses over the last 10 games, going 5-5.
