University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
VCU
Barber Homers, Gets Save As Baseball Beats VCU For Third-Straight Time
04/12/2011 | Baseball
April 12, 2011
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - Billy Barber launched a two-run home run in the first inning and nailed down his first save of the season in the ninth as Richmond held off a late VCU rally to beat the Rams, 6-3, Tuesday at Pitt Field. The Spiders have won three-straight in the series with their crosstown rival.
Winners of 14 of their last 17 games, Richmond improved to 18-13-2 overall and trimmed VCU's lead in the all-time series to 40-36. The Spiders swept the Rams (13-18) last season for the first time since 2002.
Senior Anthony Cafagna gave the Spiders five strong innings on the mound and benefited from a number of defensive gems to pick up his fourth win of the season (4-3). Cafagna scattered six hits, one walk, one strikeout and the lone run allowed came in the first inning.
Blake Hauser was tagged the loss (0-3) for VCU, allowing six hits and five runs (two earned) with seven strikeouts and two walks.
Richmond answered Joey Cujas' RBI in the first and started a two-out rally after Mike Mergenthaler reached on an error and advanced to second on the play. One batter later, Phil Ruzbarsky ripped an RBI single up the middle and Barber followed in the next at bat with a monster blast off the scoreboard in left-center field to put the Spiders up 3-1. The homer was the 33rd of Barber's career, moving him to seventh on the Spiders' all-time list.
With the lead, Cafagna settled in and faced just one batter over the minimum over the next three innings thanks in part of pair of pick-offs from catcher Bryan Conway as he gunned down VCU lead-off man Bill Cullen twice after singles in the third and fifth innings.
Richmond registered another key defensive play in the sixth when Michael Cheatham was nailed down at the plate on a pin-point throw from right-fielder Mike Mergenthaler as Cheatham was attempting to score from second on Taylor Perkins' single. For the Spiders, it was their 10th outfield assist of the season - six have come from Mergenthaler.
Richmond extended the margin to 6-1 in the sixth, tacking on three much-needed insurance runs with an RBI single from freshman JB Gadd and a two-run single from Mike Small - extending Small's hitting streak to six games.
VCU, which scored nine unanswered runs to win a CAA game over George Mason Sunday 15-10, pushed a pair across in the eighth, then brought the tying run to plate in the ninth after Kyle Sutherland doubled down the left-field line and Michael Caddell walked.
But Barber emerged from the Richmond bullpen and got Chris Ayers to pop out, set down Bill Cullen looking and rolled a fielders' choice from Paul Nice for the final out.
Richmond is back on the road this weekend with a key A-10 series at Dayton that begins Friday at 3 p.m. The Flyers are 4-2 in league play and a game back of the second-place Spiders, who are 5-1.
