University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Temple
Seniors Play Key Roles As Spiders Beat Temple, 8-6, On Senior Day
05/03/2009 | Baseball
May 3, 2009
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - The Richmond baseball team opened a 5-1 lead in the fourth inning and held off a late rally to beat Temple, 8-6, Sunday and take the key Atlantic 10 series from the Owls. Senior RF Ryan Metzroth had two hits and two RBI, while senior closer Brian Alas picked up his seventh save on Senior Day.
The victory - which matches Richmond's win total from last season - improved the Spiders to 20-20 overall and 9-12 in A-10 play, while Temple slipped to 17-26, 11-9.
Junior 3B Cameron Brown had a double, a homer, three RBI and two runs, while junior C Evan Stehle and freshman LF Phil Ruzbarsky each added two of the Spiders' 11 hits.
Brown's two-RBI double - part of Richmond's four-run second inning - gave the Spiders a 4-1 lead and knocked out Temple starter Mike Click after just four outs.
Richmond kept its foot on the gas in the fourth as Brown launched a solo homer - his team-leading eighth of the season - and then poured three more runs on the next inning, after Temple had scored twice in the top half of the fifth. Metzroth's two-run double off reliever Matt Blackburn highlighted the frame.
Freshman starter Zach Jung gave the Spiders 4.2 solid innings, allowing six hits and three runs, but was unable to get the decision. Sophomore reliever Billy Barber worked 3.1 innings with two runs and two strikeouts to get the win (4-1), while Click was tagged the loss (1-2).
Brown finished the weekend series six-for-11 (.545) with two doubles, two homers, six runs and five RBI, helping Richmond keep its playoff hopes alive.
Alas had to dodge trouble in the ninth inning as the Owls, who scored a run in each the seventh and eighth innings, pushed one across in the ninth to pull within two. Alas walked Tony Jusino with one out, followed by a Kyle Obal double to put two in scoring position. Mark Ortega's RBI single brought the go-ahead run to the plate, but Alas slammed the door with back-to-back swinging strikeouts.
Richmond got its second-inning rally started when Ruzbarsky reached on a leadoff walk, followed by Stehle's single and another walk to junior SS Victor Croglio that loaded the bases. Sophomore CF Andrew Lowry singled home Ruzbarsky, freshman 2B Adam McConnell followed with an RBI groundout and Brown cleared the bases with his two-run double.
McConnell, who swiped his team-leading 27th base of the season, was hitless in four at-bats to end his 14-game hitting streak. The freshman batted .456 (26-of-57) over the team's longest hitting streak of the season, with two doubles, eight RBI, 13 runs, 11 stolen bases and just two strikeouts. He had eight multi-hit games in that stretch.
The Spiders play a pair of midweek contests in Richmond before another critical A-10 series waits at Fordham this weekend. Richmond heads to The Diamond Tuesday night for a 6 p.m. contest versus cross-town rival VCU (live on ESPN 950 AM), then hosts Norfolk State Wednesday at 3 p.m.
