University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Saint Louis
Baseball Clubs Saint Louis 12-7 Saturday To Even Pivotal A-10 Series
05/14/2011 | Baseball
May 14, 2011
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - Richmond pounded out 16 hits and smacked three home runs, rallying from a 4-2 deficit in the fourth inning to beat Saint Louis, 12-7, Saturday at Pitt Field to even the Spiders' crucial A-10 series. Freshman Adam Forrer had three hits and launched his first career homer.
The Spiders improved to 24-23-2 overall and kept hold of a sixth-place tie with Fordham at 11-9 in the Atlantic 10, while the Billikens slipped to 27-23, 8-12.
Forrer finished three-for-five with two RBI, scored twice and his homer was a missile down the right-field line to lead off the Spiders' four-run seventh inning.
Junior CF Matt Zink, who also had three hits, two doubles and a pair of RBI, got Richmond on the board in the third inning when he stroked a two-run double to left that scored Forrer and junior LF Phil Ruzbarsky.
The Billikens struck for four runs in the fourth, but the Spiders answered right back with a five-spot in the bottom half, highlighted by Ruzbarsky's three-run bomb over the right-field fence and a two-run shot by Billy Barber to left-center after Chris Cowell led off the inning with a walk.
Barber drew a walk to lead off the fifth inning and Forrer cashed him in with a single up the middle to push Richmond's lead to 8-4.
After Saint Louis carved the deficit to one with a three-run sixth inning, Forrer's lead-off homer in the seventh kick-started a four-run rally that put the Spiders back in command. Later in the frame, Richmond loaded the bases with one out and Cowell cleared them with a double to the left-field gap to make the score 12-7.
Freshman righty Andrew Brockett, who fired 2.2 innings of scoreless relief in Friday's game, was up to the task again by allowing just one hit over the last two innings to close out the Senior Day win.
Junior Alex Maffett pitch three innings in relief of senior starter Anthony Cafagna and was credited with the win (3-3). Cafagna was on the hook for four runs over four innings, but did not factor in the decision.
Billiken starter Zack Smith, who entered Saturday's game with the league's 10th-best ERA of 2.60 in A-10 play, was touched up for six runs and five hits over three innings and was hung the loss (5-5). SLU rolled through five different relievers in Saturday's game.
Every starter had at least one hit for the Spiders, who pounded out 16 as a team - the most since a 20-hit effort in a 14-inning win at Xavier on April 10. Cowell, Barber, Ruzbarsky each had two.
Richmond, which recognized its five graduating seniors - Cafagna, Barber, RF Mike Mergenthaler, LHP Daniel Clark and RHP Matt Trent - before Saturday's game, goes for the series win Sunday at 12 p.m. with Trent on the mound.
