Jaffe Homers Spider Baseball Past VCU, A-10 Tourney Spot

Thursday, May 16

Richmond, Va.

1:00 PM

University of Richmond

24-28, 13-9

VCU

31-21, 13-8

VCU

Richmond

Jaffe Homers Spider Baseball Past VCU, A-10 Tourney Spot

05/16/2024 | Baseball

Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. – Jordan Jaffe hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the University of Richmond baseball team a 12-10 lead Thursday afternoon at Pitt Field. Cole Hentschel struck out two VCU Rams in the top of the ninth before getting the ground out to seal the Atlantic 10 Conference victory.

With the victory and a 5-3 Fordham loss at St. Bonaventure earlier in the afternoon, Richmond (24-28 on the season and 13-9 in league play) secured a spot in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament next week at Capital One Park in Tysons, Va. VCU moves to 31-21 on the year and 13-8 in league action and sits two games behind first-place Saint Louis (36-12 and 15-6 A-10).

The series continues Friday with a doubleheader beginning at noon. Senior Day festivities will be between the games with game two starting approximately 40 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Both games are will stream on ESPN-Plus.

Richmond got on the board first when Aaron Whitley scored from first on Phil Bernstein's double to left center in the first inning. With the bases loaded, Jack Arcamone scored two runs with a base hit to left to give the Spiders a 3-0 lead.

VCU got a run back in the second, but UR tallied on three more in the bottom of the frame for a 6-1 lead after two innings. UR loaded the bases then DJ Pacheco and Arcamone drew back-to-back walks to force in two runs before Zach Lass pushed in a run on an infield single.

UR starter Esteban Rodriguez allowed a two-run home run in the third for two of his four runs allowed in his five and two-thirds of an inning outing on the hill. Connor Larson hit his fourth home run of the season, a two-run blast to right field to put the Spiders up 8-3.

After VCU got a run in the fourth, cutting UR's lead in half an 8-4, both teams' pitchers settled into a scoreless grove over the next three frames. Rodriguez finished with two and two-thirds of scoreless action, tallying six total strikeouts, walking one and hitting two batters. Brian Reinke took over on the mound, got a strikeout to finish the sixth and three ground outs in the seventh, including a spectacular ground out fielded behind second base by Larson who zipped the ball to an outstretched Jaffe at first to end the half inning.

Lass scored Jaffe with a deep sacrifice fly to centerfield for the Spiders first run of the seventh. Then Pacheco scored on a VCU miscue at short to go up 10-4.

VCU roared back to life in the eighth, tallying six runs on Reinke and Chase Topolski to get within one, 10-9. Reinke allowed four runs on two hits, two hit batters, a walk and one strikeout in one and one-third of an inning, while Topolski got an out, but allowed one run on one hit. Cole Hentschel allowed a solo home run to tie the game before getting the last two outs of the eighth.

Bernstein led off the bottom of the eighth with a base hit to left. After a pitching change, Jaffe launched the first pitch he saw to left field for a two-run home run to give UR a 12-10 lead.

Hentschel tallied two strikeouts, worked around a base hit and a hit batter before getting the ground out to third to seal the victory in the ninth.