University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
George Mason
Baseball Fights Off Rain, Patriots To Win Home Opener Tuesday At Pitt Field
03/02/2010 | Baseball
March 2, 2010
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - Junior Billy Barber drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and got the win in relief as the Spiders beat George Mason, 6-4, Tuesday in the 2010 home opener at Pitt Field. Junior CF Andrew Lowry had three hits and two RBI in the winning effort.
The win snapped a four-game skid for the Spiders, who improved to 3-4. George Mason, who finished 42-14 in 2009 and reached the NCAA Regionals, slipped to 4-4.
The game was played in 40-degree temperatures, with rain turning to snow late in the contest.
Barber fanned five Patriots over the final three innings of work, scattering two hits and one walk. The junior from Fredericksburg, Va., who started the game as the designed hitter, helped his cause on the mound by driving in the eventual winning run with a single in the seventh inning.
"That was a big game for us under tough conditions," said head coach Mark McQueen. "I can't say enough about the offense manufacturing runs and Billy (Barber) came on and gave us three great innings to close it out."
Junior Billy Falasco got the start and gave Richmond five solid innings with four strikeouts and set the Patriots down in order over the first three innings while the offense built a 2-0 lead.
Falasco allowed an unearned run in the fourth, set Mason down in order in the fifth before turning the ball over to bullpen with the bases loaded and no out in the sixth.
"That was the quality start we were looking," said McQueen. "Billy (Falasco) gave us five strong innings, was pumping the strike zone and allowed the offense to get an early lead."
The Patriots pushed three across in the sixth to seize a 4-3 lead, but sophomore reliever Alex Maffett limited the damage by rolling a double-play followed by a groundout after allowing an RBI single by Mark Hill - the first batter he faced.
An RBI from sophomore LF Phil Ruzbarsky tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, Barber's RBI gave the Spiders the lead for good in the seventh and Lowry's run-scoring single added insurance in the eighth inning.
Lowry finished the day three-for-five with two RBI and run to stretch his hitting streak to five games. Junior RF Mike Mergenthaler picked up a hit in his last at bat and has now hit safely in six-straight.
The Spiders swiped a season-high six bases, including two from sophomore SS Adam McConnell.
Richmond is back in action this weekend at Pitt Field with a three-game series versus Lafayette. Friday's series-opener is slated for 2:30 p.m.
