Feb. 16, 2007

Box Score

CHARLESTON, S.C. - A lead-off triple in the bottom of the 10th inning set up a sacrifice fly that gave The Citadel a 7-6 victory over Richmond in the Spiders' 2007 season opener Friday at Riley Park.

The Spiders had leads of 2-0, 4-2 and 5-4, but could not pull away from the Bulldogs, leaving 10 runners on base.

"The big thing was the situational hitting," Richmond head coach Ron Atkins said. "We left too many runners on base, we had our chances. We did play well though for the first game. We were in the ballgame."

The Citadel (3-1) scored a pair of runs in the third, fifth and seventh innings to take a 6-5 lead. Richmond senior Alex Wotring's RBI single in the eighth inning brought the Spiders (0-1) into a 6-6 tie. The game went to extra innings and in the bottom of the 10th Citadel's Zach Brown opened the inning with a triple to center field that just eluded the grab of a diving Joe White.

Richmond junior Brian Alas came on to face pinch hitter Conrad Kellahan, who hit a fly ball to left field that was deep enough to score Brown with the game-winning run.

Wotring went 3-for-6 with two RBIs, while sophomore Cameron Brown went 2-for-5 with a double and RBI and senior Matt McKenna was also 2-for-5 with a double. Sophomore Victor Croglio was 2-for-4 and senior Vince Riggi had a hit and drove in a run.

Freshman Matt Zielinski took the loss for the Spiders after allowing the leadoff triple to Brown in the 10th. Zielinski pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and three runs while striking out five. Junior Alex Hale got the start for the Spiders, striking out nine in 4 1/3 innings. He allowed nine hits and four runs.

"We played really good baseball today," Atkins said. "We had only one error, pitched it well, struck out 14 of their batters and we only struck out six times."

The Spiders took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when senior Andrew Justice reached on an error, stole second and scored on a double by Brown. Justice scored on a throwing error in the third inning to give Richmond a 2-0 lead, but the Citadel came right back to tie it in the bottom of the inning.

The Bulldogs loaded the bases and a RBI-single by Chris Swauger gave the Citadel its first run of the game, but Richmond's right fielder McKenna earned his first outfield assist of the year by throwing out a runner at the plate. Sonny Meade ended up singling in a run to tie the game, but Hale got out of the inning with no further damage.

A double by McKenna and single by Croglio led to a sacrifice fly by junior Austin Reilly that put the Spiders back up 3-2. Richmond made it 4-2 when junior Joe Mahoney reached on an error, stole second and scored on a RBI-single by Riggi.

Two doubles, including a two-run two-bagger by Meade tied the game for the Citadel in the bottom of the fifth, but Zielinski came on to get the Spiders out of the inning.

With two outs in the sixth, the Spiders were able to regain the lead at 5-4 when Reilly singled up the middle and doubled down the right field line. Citadel's Brown hit a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning to put the Bulldogs up 6-5, but Wotring's RBI-single would tie it in the top of the eighth.

Richmond continues play in the Citadel Shootout on Saturday at 11 a.m. against No. 1 South Carolina.

"It's going to be a good early-season test for us," Atkins said. "They are a heck of a team."

NOTES: Matt McKenna has hit safely in six-straight games dating back to last season and has two hits in his last three games...Hank Coogan has hit safely in four-straight games and 13 of the last 14 dating back to last season.