University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Seton Hall
Seton Hall Hands Richmond Baseball First Loss In 2009
03/08/2009 | Baseball
March 8, 2009
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - A pair of comeback bids by the Richmond baseball team fell short, and the Spiders suffered their first defeat of the season - 14-12 to Seton Hall Sunday at Pitt Field. Cameron Brown was four-for-four with two RBI and three runs scored for Richmond.
Brown and sophomore Billy Barber each launched home runs for the Spiders (7-1), who could not overcome two big innings by the Pirates (3-4). The visitors struck for seven runs in the second inning to open a 7-3 lead, then broke a 7-7 tie with five runs in the eighth. Richmond had entered Sunday as one of just five undefeated teams in Division-I baseball.
Junior C Evan Stehle had three hits and drove in two runs, while CF Andrew Lowery, 1B Mike Mergenthaler and RF Ryan Metzroth each added two hits as the Spiders pounded out 16 as a team.
After Metzroth helped give the Spiders a three-run lead in the first thanks to his two-RBI double, starter Brian Farrell saw the lead quickly fizzle. He walked four Pirates and plunked one in the second inning and the visitors needed just two hits - doubles from Michael Rogers and Frank Esposito -- to score its seven runs.
Barber's towering homer to center in the third pulled Richmond within one and Lowry drove in the tying run with his single in the fifth. All of this while senior Josh Horn was pitching 3.1 innings of shutout relief, allowing just one hit with five strikeouts and no walks.
But Seton Hall had one more spurt left and pounded out five hits and five runs in the decisive eighth inning, highlighted by a two-run homer from Chris Affinito.
Falasco - the fourth of seven Richmond pitchers in the game - relieved Horn in the sixth and pitched two innings, allowing two runs and two hits and was tagged with the loss. Matt Singer threw the final two innings for SHU and got credit with the victory.
Richmond, though, had an answer for the five-run eighth. Phil Ruzbarsky led off by reaching on a hit-by-pitch, then scored when McConnell dropped a bunt down the third base line and the ball was thrown away. Brown's two-run bomb to left field made it 12-10 and Stehle's RBI single made it 12-11.
A wild play in the ninth scored two key insurance runs for SHU. With the bases loaded and no outs, Chris Fontenelli scored on a sacrifice fly and Michael Rogers, looking to catch the Spiders napping, took off for third McConnell's errant throw to get Rogers sailed into foul territory, allowing Rogers to make it 14-11.
With its unbeaten streak on the line, Chris Cuppia led off the ninth inning with a single and eventually scored with two outs. Brown also singled, then stole second but Singer fanned Metzroth to end it.
Seton Hall starter Sean Black, who fired a one-hit shutout at Richmond last season, was touched up for six runs on six hits in 2.1 innings of work.
Richmond and Seton Hall conclude their weather-shortened series Monday at 2 p.m.
