University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Princeton
Errors Doom Richmond, Help Princeton Earn Series Sweep
03/09/2008 | Baseball
March 9, 2008
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond had the tying run on deck in the ninth, but saw yet another comeback bid fall short in falling to Princeton, 10-7, in the second game of Sunday's twinbill at Pitt Field. The Tigers plated eight unearned runs in the contest to sweep the weekend series from the Spiders. Freshman Andrew Lowry was two-for-four with two RBI and triggered the late rally.
The sharpest fielding team in the Atlantic 10 last season, Richmond (4-9-1) committed an uncommon eight errors in the nightcap and played both games Sunday with the starting left side of its infield on the shelf. Junior shortstop Victor Croglio missed his 10th-consecutive game, while junior third baseman Cameron Brown went down during Saturday's contest.
Errors aside, the resilient Spiders cut into Princeton's 10-3 lead with a pair of runs in the seventh inning, two more in the ninth and had the tying run on deck when the game ended.
Pinch-hitter Andrew Lowry drove him home with a double to the wall in right center. Hank Coogan laced a single to left scoring Lowry.
But reliever Tim Feess pitched himself into and out of trouble, setting the next three Spiders down in order to end threat and preserve the win for starter David Hale.
Adrian Turnham finished the doubleheader with five hits and five RBIs, leading the opportunistic Tigers (6-1) to their sixth win in seven games this season. Micah Kaplan had three hits in the nightcap. Hale scattered six hits over five innings and allowed three runs (one earned) with six strikeouts.
Lowry scored twice in the game and the freshman centerfielder batted .308 (four-for-15) in the weekend series with a homer, two doubles, five RBIs and four runs scored.
The Spiders outhit the Tigers 13-11, getting a trio of hits from Coogan and two each from Lowry, Mike Mergenthaler, Ryan Metzroth and Derek Boliek.
Starting pitcher Ian Marshall found himself on the short end of Richmond's defensive miscues and was handed the loss. In 5.1 innings of work, Marshall fanned six and walked two, while five of the seven runs he yielded were unearned.
Senior Alex Hale, who was named the nation's 29th-best senior prospect by Baseball America, threw the final two innings and punched-out six Tigers, allowing one hit and one unearned run. In 13.0 innings this season, Hale is 3-0, has 19 strikeouts, four walks and allowed just three earned runs.
Freshman Daniel Clark was also effective, giving up just one hit and pair of unearned runs in 1.2 innings of work ahead of Hale.
Richmond cut into Princeton's 5-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning with RBIs from Mergenthaler and Evan Stehle.
But Andrew Doupe hit a two-run homer off Marshall in the fifth, spotting Princeton its five-run cushion back. The visitors would tack on three more much-needed, but unearned runs in the final three innings.
After playing 10 of their last 11 games at home, Richmond hits the road all next week for five games in seven days. The Spiders are at William & Mary Tuesday, at Duke Wednesday and at Charleston Southern for a three-game set that begins Friday.
