University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Temple
Spiders Smash School Record, Owls In Series Opener
04/11/2008 | Baseball
April 11, 2008
AMBLER, Pa. - The Richmond baseball team broke a school record for runs in an Atlantic 10 game with a 23-0 shutout of Temple Friday afternoon in the first game of a conference series in Ambler, Pa. Matt Zielinski pitched six innings with four strikeouts for the Spiders, while Joe White, Evan Stehle and Hank Coogan each launched homers in the 21-hit onslaught.
The Spiders pounded out 23 runs on 21 hits for the second time this season, after doing the same in a 23-16 win over UNC-Wilmington in the season-opener. It also crushed Richmond's previous record for runs in an A-10 game by six, topping a 17-2 win over La Salle in 2002.
White led the game off with his first home run of the season and the Spiders never looked back in improving to 15-17-1 overall and moving into a tie for third in the A-10 at 6-4 with their third consecutive victory. Temple slipped to a 14-16 and a similar 6-4.
"The guys did a good job of getting to their starter," said head coach Mark McQueen. "We did a nice job of putting good swings on the ball, but it was just one of those games where everything seemed to go right for one team."
Every Spider in the starting lineup had at least a hit, led by the three each from White, Hank Coogan bombed a three-run homer to left in the fourth and Stehle followed suit an inning later.
Zielinski cruised through six innings by scattering just five hits and two walks with four strikeouts to win his third game of the season (3-1). Freshman Anthony Cafagna put the final touches on Richmond's second shutout of the season with two K's and a hit over the final three innings for his first career save.
"Zielinski did a great job for us," said McQueen. "That was one of the best games I've seen him pitch. He was in total control, spotting his fast ball and throwing his curve ball for strikes."
White's solo homer in the game's first at-bat gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, and a wild play in the second allowed the Spiders to jump ahead 4-0, when a sacrifice bunt by Boliek with two on cleared the bases and allowed all three to score.
Barber drew a lead off walk and a Mergenthaler single moved him to second base. Boilek's bunt rolled up the third-base line and pitcher Tom Dolan, looking to gun him at first, threw wildly and the ball rolled all the way to the corner of the stadium in foul territory. Richmond tacked on another in the frame when Dolan was charged with a balk to score Austin Reilly from third.
Temple committed six errors in the game, leading to three unearned runs.
Thanks to Coogan's first homer since March 21, the Spiders tacked on three more in the fourth inning. Stehle's three-run shot was part of an eight-run fifth and a Mergenthaler two-RBI double highlighted a seven-run sixth as the Spiders scored all 23 runs in the first six innings.
The series continues Saturday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
