Big Ninth Inning Rally Spurs Spiders Past Bonnies

Saturday, April 30

Olean, NY

12 PM

University of Richmond

20-18, 5-9

St. Bonaventure

2-30, 1-13

Richmond

St. Bonaventure

04/30/2022 | Baseball

Box Score

OLEAN, NY – The University of Richmond baseball team scored five runs in the final two innings, including four in the top of the ninth, Saturday to come from behind and defeat St. Bonaventure 8-5 at Handler Park.

Richmond improves to 20-18 on the year and 5-9 in Atlantic 10 action, while St. Bonaventure falls to 2-30 on the season and 1-13 in league action.

The Spiders go for the series sweep of the Bonnies Sunday with first pitch set for noon.

St. Bonaventure took a quick 2-0 lead in the first, scoring off of two hits and three walks before Richmond starter Jeremy Neff (West Palm Beach, Fla.) got out of the bases loaded situation with a strike out.

Richmond answered with a run in the top of the second as Johnny Hipsman (Chester, N.Y.) scored on Jason Neff's (West Palm Beach, Fla.) sacrifice fly to right field.

The Bonnies pushed their lead back to two runs, at 3-1, in the bottom of the second with a sacrifice fly to deep center.

Richmond tied the game in the top of the third at 3-all. Christian Beal (Flossmoor, Ill.) singled to reach, then advanced on Alden Mathes' (Broomall, Pa.) double to right before scoring on a groundout by Jared Sprague-Lott (Philadelphia, Pa.). Hipsman followed with a double of his own to score Mathes.

Jeremy Neff tossed three scoreless innings before the Bonnies tallied two in the sixth for a 5-3 lead. Neff scattered five runs on five hits, four walks, two hit batters with six strikeouts over a season-high seven innings of work.

With two outs in the eighth, Jake Elbeery (North Andover, Mass.) doubled to left center. Zach Lass (Mechanicsville, Va.) traded spots with Elbeery, lacing a double of his own to left to get within one of the Bonnies.

Richmond reliever Esteban Rodriguez (Doral, Fla.) took over for Neff on the mound in the eighth. Rodriguez stranded a Bonnies base runner and picked up two strikeouts in the eighth.

With two outs in the ninth, the top of the Spiders order got hot. Beal got things going with a base hit before Mathes reached with a single to left and Sprague-Lott drew a walk to load the bases. Hipsman collected his third hit of the day with a three-run double to give Richmond a two-run lead, 7-5. Elbeery picked up Hipsman with a base hit back up the middle for an insurance run.

Rodriguez shut down the Bonnies in the ninth, stranding a runner at first. Rodriguez picked up the win, allowing one walk and no hits to the Bonnies in two innings of work with two strikeouts.