University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
VMI
Spiders Win In Extras Again, 2-1, At VMI
03/24/2009 | Baseball
March 24, 2009
LEXINGTON, Va. - Junior C Evan Stehle (Richmond, Va./Monacan) ripped an RBI single up the middle in the 11th inning to lift the Richmond baseball team past VMI, 2-1, at Gray-Minor Stadium in Lexington, Va. Tuesday night. The victory clinched a season sweep of the Keydets for the first time since 2002.
Richmond, which won in extra innings for the third time in four games, improved to 12-5 with the victory, while VMI slipped to 10-12. The Keydets had won seven-straight in the series before this season and had not lost to Richmond at home in seven years.
"That was just a well-played game overall and both starters threw very well," said head coach Mark McQueen. "Brian gave us a great start tonight and again I can't say enough about the job our bullpen did."
Senior RF Ryan Metzroth led off the top of the 11th with his first hit of the game, sophomore 1B Mike Mergenthaler moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt and Stehle ripped an RBI single up the middle to score Metzroth and put the Spiders up for the second time in the game.
Freshman Matt Zink fired a three-up-three-down bottom of the 11th with two strikeouts for his first career save, giving senior Brian Alas - who pitched a no-hitter over the eighth, ninth and 10th with three strikeouts - his first win of the season (1-0).
The dramatic finish overshadowed a pitchers duel early on between Richmond junior starter Brian Farrell and VMI's Adam Kruithof. Farrell went five innings allowed just three hits, a run and two walks with seven strikeouts. Kruithof went 5.2 and turned a no-hitter over to his bullpen.
Farrell cruised through four innings, and dodged damage in the fifth by getting out of a bases-loaded jam. After VMI used two singles and walk to load the bases with two outs, Farrell worked Tanner Biagini into a pop-up in the infield. Shortstop Victor Croglio was back-peddling to make the catch, made contact with the VMI runner at second and dropped the ball. The umpires ruled interference and the side was retired.
Richmond played a little small-ball to dent the scoreboard first after junior 3B Cameron Brown reached on an error to start the sixth inning. Junior 2B Chris Cuppia bunted, but an error by the catcher put two on with no outs.
Metzroth's sacrifice bunt moved both into scoring position and Mergenthaler's sacrifice fly to right field plated the game's first run.
Farrell turned the game over to his bullpen in the sixth after Sam Roberts reached with a leadoff walk. Reliever Jared Bard issued the tying RBI to Brian Sandridge, but escaped further trouble and the game went extra innings tied at 1-1.
The teams combined for just nine hits in the crisp, three-hour contest.
The Spiders return to action this weekend with an Atlantic 10 series at George Washington that starts Friday at 3 p.m.
