Four Home Runs Power Spiders Past Rhode Island on Senior Day

Friday, May 20

Richmond, Va.

11 AM

University of Richmond

Rhode Island

Photo by: Keith Lucas

Four Home Runs Power Spiders Past Rhode Island on Senior Day

05/20/2022 | Baseball

Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. –The University of Richmond offense exploded for 15 runs in the first four innings to defeat Rhode Island 16-9 Friday at Pitt Field to take the second game of the Atlantic 10 Conference series. On a hot and humid Friday, the ball was flying as 10 home runs left Pitt Field. The Spiders four long balls now puts the squad at 55 home runs on the season, surpassing the 2019 season total of 54.

Richmond improves to 25-24 on the year and 10-13 in A-10 action, while Rhode Island falls to 20-32 for the season and 14-9 in league play. The final game of the series and regular season is set for an 11 a.m. first pitch Saturday at Pitt Field.

The Rams took a quick 1-0 lead in the first off a solo home run, but Richmond starter Jeremy Neff (West Palm Beach, Fla.) was able to bounce back and throw back-to-back scoreless frames in the second and third innings, collecting four strikeouts.

The Spiders got on the board in the second when Chase Conklin (Mullica Hills, N.J.) doubled down the left field line to score Jared Sprague-Lott (Philadelphia, Pa.) from first. With two outs, D.J. Pacheco (Danvers, Mass.) got a base hit and Christian Beal (Flossmoor, Ill.) was hit to load the bases. On a 3-2 pitch, Alden Mathes (Broomall, Pa.) broke open the game with a grand slam to right to give the Spiders a 5-1 lead. Mathes now leads the Spiders with nine home runs this season.

Jake Elbeery (North Andover, Mass.) and Jason Neff (West Palm Beach, Fla.) hit back-to-back solo home runs in the third inning to push Richmond's lead out to 7-1. Sprague-Lott scored for the second straight inning on a Rhode Island wild pitch.

Rhode Island got two runs in the top of the fourth on a two-run home run, but the Spiders answered with a seven-run bottom of frame to take a 15-3 lead. Jason Neff blasted his second home run of the game, a three-run shot to left center, to extend his hit-streak to 10 games. Richmond then showed patience at the plate, drawing four-straight walks to force in a run and score on a URI wild pitch. Beal laced an RBI base hit through the left side and Mathes followed with a single up the middle to tally the Spiders sixth and seventh runs of the frame.

Rhode Island cut into Richmond's lead in the fifth, tagging Jeremy Neff with two more home runs. Neff collected the win, allowing seven runs, six earned, on seven hits, four walks and one hit batter with seven strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work.

Pacheco collected the Spiders 16^th run of the game in the eighth with an RBI single to right to score Zach Lass (Mechanicsville, Va.), who extended the inning with a two-out single.

Winston Allen (Morristown, N.J.) took over for Neff, scattering two runs on three hits and striking out a season-high five batters over 3.1 innings on the mound. Josh Willitts (Southampton, N.J) got the final four outs for the Spiders, with two strikeouts, including the final out of the game via the swing and miss.