University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Xavier
Spiders Win 14-Inning Marathon To Take Series, Drop Nightcap To Xavier
04/10/2011 | Baseball
April 10, 2011
CINCINNATI, Ohio - Richmond pounded out a season-high 20 hits and freshman JB Gadd had the biggest - an RBI single in the top of the 14th inning - and the Spiders pulled out a 7-6 marathon win in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday at Xavier. The Spiders won the series, but were unable to complete the weekend sweep.
Winning its second-consecutive A-10 series, Richmond improved to 17-13-2 overall and 5-1 in the league. The Spiders have won back-to-back conference series for the first time since 2007 and the 5-1 start to A-10 play is also the best since starting 2007 at 5-1. The 2007 campaign was the last time Richmond reached the A-10 Tournament.
Xavier (18-16, 3-6), which was a preseason No. 2 in the A-10 coaches poll, won the nightcap 14-1.
Freshman lefty Chris Bates gave Richmond another dominating start in Sunday's opener, scattering five hits over seven innings to go with five strikeouts and one walk. The rookie turned a 6-2 lead over to the bullpen heading to the bottom of the eighth.
But Bates' bid for his first career A-10 win fizzled as Xavier struck for four runs in the frame and forced extra innings.
Junior Alex Maffett fired 4.2 innings of scoreless relief to stem the tide and weaseled out of a big jam in the 12th when Xavier loaded the bases with one out. But Maffett sat Patrick Paligraf down looking and got Daniel Rod to fly out.
Senior Billy Barber, who scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 14th, fired a scoreless bottom of the 13th in relief of Maffett. Now with a one-run lead, Barber worked around a pair of XU singles in the 14th to give Richmond its first extra-innings win this season.
Gadd stroked the winning single to left-center field with two outs to score Barber, who singled and moved to second on Bryan Conway's sacrifice bunt. Gadd finished Sunday's first game with three hits, while freshman Nick Poulos and Barber each had four.
After Xavier scored the game's first run on Mark Elwell's RBI single in the second inning, Richmond responded with a pair of runs in third thanks to an RBI single from Mike Small and an error that eventually scored Small from third.
Phil Ruzbarsky has one of his two RBI in the sixth inning as Richmond extended the lead to 3-1. Chris Cowell, who also finished the game with three hits, doubled to start the eighth inning as the Spiders scored what proved to be three much-needed insurance runs. Ruzbarsky had another RBI and Poulos followed later with a two-run single to right.
The fifth pitcher of the game for Xavier - Brian Muransky - was hung the game-one loss. XU starter Jon Richard was touched up for 10 hits and three runs over seven innings.
Following the thrilling 14-inning victory - in the team's longest game since winning a 14-inning affair versus Massachusetts 4-3 in 2009 - Richmond was limited to just six hits in the nightcap and Xavier won 14-1.
Eight of the runs were unearned as the Spiders committed a season-high five errors, including two in a six-run fourth inning that broke the game wide open.
Ben Thomas homered twice in the game and drove in four runs.
Mike Small and Chris Cowell each extended hitting streaks to five games, while Barber scored a seventh-inning run to break up the shutout.
Freshman Andrew Brockett was hung the loss for Richmond (1-3) and Vinny Nitolli fired six innings to pick up the win (4-1).
Richmond returns home Tuesday to host VCU at Pitt Field. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
