Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader with Longwood at Pitt Field

Saturday, March 27

Pitt Field

11 a.m.

University of Richmond

8-4

Longwood

8-12

Longwood

Richmond

Photo by: Spiders Athletics

Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader with Longwood at Pitt Field

03/27/2021 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score (PDF) Game 1 Box Score (PDF) Game 2

RICHMOND, Va. – Spider baseball swept a doubleheader with the Longwood Lancers, 5-4 and 10-5 Saturday afternoon at Pitt Field. The Spiders battled back to earn the win in the first game of the day, winning by a walk-off balk. The nightcap was within a run until the eighth inning when the Spiders broke it open and extended the lead to earn the win. With the sweep, Richmond improves to 9-4. Longwood falls to 8-13 on the season.

Jeremy Neff (West Palm Beach, Fla.) started the first game of the day. Neff threw 6.2 innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs and struck out five while getting a no-decision. Nolan Collins (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) threw 0.2 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out a hitter. Alden Mathes (Broomall, Pa.) threw the final 1.2 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three while earning the win.

Offensively, Richmond had seven hits in the first game. Three of which came from the barrel of Dominic Toso (Philadelphia, Pa.). Toso finished 3-for-4 with a stolen base, two RBI and scored once to go with his first home run of the season. Anthony Forte (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) added a 2-for-4 effort as the lead off man, scoring once. Jordan Schulefand (Parkland, Fla.) added a bunt hit, and Drew Blakely (Galesburg, Mich.) had a hit and an RBI in the game one win.

Colby Wyatt (Glendale, Ariz.) started the second game of the doubleheader, throwing 3.1 innings. He struck out one hitter and allowed three hits. Antonio Balducci (Mechanicsville, Va.) threw 0.2 innings to earn the win, striking out a pair with the bases loaded in the fourth. Jacob Marcus (Malvern, Pa.) threw the final 5.0 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out five to earn his first career save.

The nightcap featured a more balanced attack as eight of nine starters all had at least one hit. Wyatt Ulrich (International Falls, Minn.) got his first start of the season. The lead-off man went 3-for-6 with two RBI and scored once in his Spider debut. Chris Rinaldi (Westfield, N.J.), who scored the game-winning run in the first game, finished 3-or-5 with two RBI and scored once. Schulefand finished 2-for-5 and scored twice. Toso and Hipsman each added two hits, with Toso driving in two and scoring three times, while Hipsman scored once.

Longwood struck first as its lead-off hitter hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning.

Richmond got on the board in its half of the first. Forte led off with a single to right and moved up on a bunt single from Schulefand. After a wild pitch moved both into scoring position, Blakely drove a ground ball to the right side to bring in the first run.

After two scoreless innings, Richmond got on the board when Toso lifted a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left to put the Spiders up 3-1 after four innings.

Longwood tied it up in the top of the seventh, using a two-run homer of their own. The Lancers regained the one-run lead with a double to left center in the eighth inning that scored a run from first to go up 4-3.

The Spiders rallied in the bottom of the ninth to earn the win in dramatic fashion. Toso started the frame with a single to right field and moved up after Rinaldi drew a walk. A balk moved the runners into scoring position with one out. Hipsman hit a ground ball to the right side to score the tying run before Rinaldi made his presence felt at third, drawing a balk to give the Spiders a walk-off win in the first game.

In the nightcap, Richmond struck first, playing as the visiting team. The Spiders started the top of the first with a single from Schulefand and a Toso single put runners on the corners. Hipsman followed with a single up the middle to score one before Rinaldi singled through the right side to score another.

The Spiders added three more in the top of the second. Sprague-Lott led the inning off with a walk, and a single from Ulrich, a walk to Schulefand and a Forte single brought in the first run of the inning. Toso drove in a run with a single of his own, before a bases loaded error allowed the third run to score and the Spiders to take a 5-0 lead.

Longwood battled back, scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning. The Lancers took advantage of some free passes before scoring with a double and a single to cut the lead to 5-2. A solo homer in the third made it 5-3 in favor of the Spiders.

Richmond extended its lead back to three after scoring a single run in the top of the fourth. Toso led off and was hit by a pitch, before moving up on a ground out to the right side. Rinaldi singled to move him to third and Mathes brought him in with a ground ball to the right side.

Longwood answered with two runs of their own, taking advantage of five free passes to score two runs and cut the lead to 6-5.

The Spiders broke the game open in the top of the eighth inning, scoring three runs. Hipsman started the rally with a single to left and Rinaldi followed with a single up the middle. After a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, Sprague-Lott drove in a run with a sacrifice fly allowing all runners to advance and Hipsman to score. An intentional walk to Blakely who was pinch hitting loaded the bases again, Ulrich slapping a single up the middle to score two and extend the lead to 9-5. Richmond added a run in the top of the ninth when Toso walked and later scored on a wild pitch.

Richmond is back in action Tuesday when they host the Norfolk State Spartans at 3 p.m. at Pitt Field.

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