May 5, 2010
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - Sophomore Adam McConnell launched the first two home runs of his career, including the game-winning three-run shot in the seventh inning as Richmond rallied for a 13-10 win over Longwood Wednesday at Pitt Field.
The victory answered Longwood's walk-off triumph over the Spiders Tuesday night and improved Richmond to 21-22 overall, while the Lancers slipped to 20-17. It's the Spiders ninth come-from-behind win this season.
Richmond, which has pounded out double-digit hits in nine of the last 10 games, collected 15 Wednesday. Victor Croglio and Cameron Brown each had three, while McConnell, Derek Boliek, Chris Cowell and Mike Mergenthaler chipped in two apiece. The four RBI from McConnell is a career-high for the shortstop, who was a Freshman All-America in 2009.
The team's combined for six home runs on the steamy afternoon at Pitt Field as Croglio and Mergenthaler joined McConnell's long-ball parade. Brandt Jones hit two for Longwood.
Richmond sprinted out to early leads of 6-0 and 9-4, only to see Longwood coming storming back with five runs in the fifth and another in the sixth to capture a 10-9 advantage.
But Croglio, who finished with three RBI, drove in the game-tying run with a single in the seventh after the Spiders loaded the bases with Brown's single to lead off the frame, Cowell's double off the right-field wall and Bryan Conway reaching on a hit-by-pitch.
A double-play ball gave the Lancers hope of escaping the seventh with a 10-10 tie, but McConnell rifled a 2-1 offering from Kyler Morgan over the wall in left field to drive in three and give the Spiders a lead they would not relinquish.
Junior Matt Trent, working on what would normally be his bullpen day, blanked Longwood over the final 2.1 innings to record his fifth-consecutive win and improve to 5-4. Morgan was tagged the loss for Longwood (3-1).
Senior Jay Joines took a perfect game into the fourth, but saw the Lancers strike four times off four hits in the inning. David Smiy's bases-clearing, three-run double with one out, followed later by a two-out RBI single from Robby Newman ended Joines' afternoon.
Conway's sacrifice fly put the Spiders on the board in the second inning, and Croglio lifted a two-run bomb down the left-field line to make it 3-0. Richmond kept the pedal to metal in the third and scored three more times thanks to RBIs from Brown, Cowell and Conway. McConnell and Mergenthaler each homered in the Spiders' three-run fourth inning to answer four runs scored by Longwood in the top half.
Richmond returns to action with a key Atlantic 10 series at Duquesne this weekend. Friday's series-opener is set for 3 p.m. with the Spiders at 7-11 overall and three games back of the sixth and final playoff spot with nine A-10 games remaining. The Dukes enter the weekend 5-13 in A-10 play.
