University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Norfolk State
Richmond Beats Norfolk State, 7-6, In Extra Innings
05/06/2008 | Baseball
May 6, 2008
NORFOLK, Va. - Mike Mergenthaler's ground out with the bases loaded scored Chris Cuppia from third base, breaking a 6-6 tie in the 10th inning, and the Richmond baseball team defeated Norfolk State, 7-6, Tuesday night in Norfolk, Va. Matt Trent held the Spartans hitless over the final four innings to pick up the victory.
The Spiders, who led the game 5-1, withstood NSU's five-run rally in the bottom of the fifth, before Mergenthaler's solo homer in the seventh tied the game for a second time. Trent kept the Spartans off the scoreboard and set the home team down in order in the 10th to seal Richmond's second extra-innings win this season (2-1-1).
Freshman Derek Boliek finished the day three-for-five with two RBI and a run while his classmate Mergenthaler snapped out of mini 2-for-10 slump with a pair of hits, his sixth homer of the season, three RBI and two runs scored. Sophomores Cuppia and Evan Stehle each had three of the Spiders' 14 hits.
Trent (2-3) fanned three and walked two in his four innings of no-hit ball in relief freshman Anthony Cafagna. Starter Billy Falasco took a one-hitter into the fifth before NSU got to the Spider freshman.
"He came in a tight situation and that was the best I've seen him pitch," said head coach Mark McQueen. "We had two freshmen and a sophomore pitch for us tonight and I was happy with how we competed."
The victory improved the Spiders to 19-25-2, while the Spartans fell to 20-20 with just their second setback in the last nine games.
Richmond loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning and Boliek allowed the Spiders to draw first blood with his two-run double to the gap in deep right-center field to score Ryan Metzroth and Stehle, who each singled earlier in the frame.
The Spartans got a run back in the second, but Boliek factored into the scoring again as he singled in the fourth, moved to second on a fielders' choice and came home on Cuppia's single.
Hank Coogan extended his hitting streak to 17 games with double in the fifth inning and Mergenthaler traded places with him in the next at-bat, making the score 4-1. The Spiders tacked on another when Mergenthaler sprinted home on a wild pitch.
But the tide turned in the fifth as the Spartans rallied for five runs to take the lead and ruined what was developing into a quality start for Falasco. The freshman took his one-hitter into the fifth, but five of the six hits and all five runs were charged against him in the lead-changing inning.
Mergenthaler took his classmate off the hook, tying the score at 6-6 in the seventh with his solo blast over the 392-foot sign in deep right field.
The Spiders remain on the road with a critical three-game Atlantic 10 series at Charlotte beginning Thursday night. Richmond enters the series 1.5 games of the sixth-and-final playoff spot, while the 49ers sit in a three-way tie for first. Thursday's first pitch is set for 6 p.m.
