University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
George Washington
Zielinski, Hale Help Richmond Whitewash George Washington, 1-0
03/29/2008 | Baseball
March 29, 2008
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Matt Zielinski pitched a gem and closer Alex Hale fanned five to slam the door for Richmond in a 1-0 win over George Washington Saturday afternoon in the second game of an Atlantic 10 series at Pitt Field. Ryan Metzroth had the lone RBI in a brisk contest that lasted less than two hours.
The victory snapped a two-game slide for the Spiders, improving them to 12-13-1 overall and 4-1 in A-10 play. GW's four-game winning streak was halted as it fell to 13-10, 3-2. The game, which took an hour and 58 minutes to complete, featured just the one run, 10 hits and one error. The teams combined for 26 runs, 27 hits and seven errors in Friday's three-hour, 30-minute affair.
With Zielinski and GW starter Eric Cantrell locked in a pitchers' duel, the Spiders would push the game's lone run across in the bottom of the third. Chris Cuppia led the frame off with a single, Andrew Lowry singled behind him and the pair moved into scoring position thanks to a wild pitch. Later in the inning with one out, Metzroth's ground out to first base drove Cuppia home.
Zielinski made quick work of the high-scoring Colonials through six innings, keeping the visitors off the scoreboard by allowing just three hits with four strikeouts and a walk. But the sophomore's day ended after giving up two hits wrapped around a fly out in the seventh. Hale emerged and fanned a pair to end the GW threat.
"That was really what we needed today from our staff," said head coach Mark McQueen. "Matt has missed some time this year with an injury, so it was nice to see him back to form. And I really thought (Evan) Stehle did a great job handling the pitchers today,"
Picking up his second win of the season, Zielinski (2-0) scattered five hits over 6.1 innings with one walk and four K's. Hale recorded his second save of the season by fanning five in a dominating 2.2 innings of scoreless, no-hit relief.
Mike Mergenthaler had one of the Spiders' five hits as the freshman extended his hitting streak to a team-leading 16 games with his hump-back line drive to left in the fourth inning. Joe White and Derek Boliek picked up Richmond's other two singles.
Cantrell went the distance for GW, but found himself on the short-end of the tough-luck decision. He struck out eight, walked one and yielded five hits in falling to 3-2.
The shutout was Richmond's first since blanking Delaware, 2-0, early last season.
The Spiders and Colonials meet Sunday at 1 p.m. in the rubber-match of the three-game series in the West End. The game can be heard live on ESPN Radio 950 in Richmond.
