Sterling's Gem, Hot Bats Lead Spiders Over Lafayette, 9-0

Saturday, February 28

Goose Creek, S.C.

3:00 PM

University of Richmond

4-3

Lafayette

1-2

Lafayette

Richmond

Sterling's Gem, Hot Bats Lead Spiders Over Lafayette, 9-0

02/28/2015 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Richmond Athletics

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. – A dominant pitching performance and an impressive offensive show led the University of Richmond Spiders baseball team over the Lafayette Leopards, 9-0, at the Charleston Baseball Academy in Goose Creek, S.C. on Saturday afternoon.

With the victory, Richmond improves to 4-3 on the season overall, while Lafayette falls to 1-2 on the early season.

“Today was the most complete effort we've had since I've been here,” Richmond head coach Tracy Woodson said. “ We had a dominant pitching performance and our offense was outstanding.”

Senior LHP Zak Sterling (1-1) had one of the best performances of his career, tossing eight shutout innings, allowing just one hit. Sterling struck out a career-high 12 batters and issued just one walk, facing just two over the minimum in his eight innings of work. LHP Zach Grossfeld pitched the ninth inning to secure the one-hit shutout for the Spiders.

“Zak was at his absolute best today,” Woodson remarked. “He had complete command of all his pitches and his velocity was the best that we've seen.”

Offensively, OF Michael Morman led the charge for the Spiders, going 2-for-4 with a triple, five RBI and a run scored. Freshman C Brandon Johnson had a two-run home run, while 1B Doug Kraeger had a pair of hits, drove in two runs and scored once.

SS Tyler Beckwith had two hits, two runs scored and two stolen bases for the Spiders, while DH Kurtis Brown and OF Tanner Stanley each had a hit and scored for UR.

Richmond jumped on the Leopards early, seizing control of the game. The Spiders scored one in the first, two in the second, three in the fourth and two in the fifth to stake Sterling an 8-0 lead headed into the top of the sixth.

Sterling was nearly perfect for the Spiders, retiring 16 of the first 17 batters he faced. Finally in the top of the sixth, Lafayette recorded its first hit of the game. With one out, the Leopards' Steven Cohen hit a ball to the right-center field gap. Morman had a great beat on the ball, but his tremendous diving effort fell just short, as Cohen spoiled the no-hit effort with a double.

Despite the hit, Sterling was unfazed and quickly dispatched the next two Lafayette hitters to stop any potential rally.

After the hit, Sterling retired the next eight batters he faced before turning it over to Grossfeld in the ninth.

The Richmond Spiders baseball team will be back on the field on Sunday, when the team plays a doubleheader at the Charleston Baseball Academy. The Spiders will play Lafayette at 10 a.m., before facing UMBC at 3 p.m.

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