Feb. 25, 2009

Box Score

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - Freshman SS Adam McConnell was four-for-four with an RBI and scored three times to lead the Richmond baseball team past VMI, 10-4, Wednesday afternoon at Pitt Field. The victory keeps the Spiders undefeated and is the first over VMI in eight tries.

Richmond (5-0), which is off to its best start since going 5-0 to open the 2003 season, pounded out 14 hits and did not commit an error, while three Spider pitchers combined for nine strikeouts and just one walk.

"This was our most complete game of the season today," said head coach Mark McQueen. "We were crisp on defense, pitched well and put pressure on them offensively."

McConnell, who jumped his average to .500 (eight-for-16) on the season, played a key role in the sixth-inning rally that saw the Spiders score five times and turn a 4-2 deficit into a 7-4 advantage. Richmond capitalized on three VMI (1-4) errors and two wild pitches in the inning.

After freshman LF Phil Ruzbarsky singled to lead off the sixth, McConnell singled to left. Ruzbarsky moved to third on a wild pitch and then McConnell swiped second, but the catcher's throw sailed into into centerfield, scoring Ruzbarsky and moving McConnell to third.

Junior 3B Cameron Brown drove in McConnell, and the Spiders kept their foot on the gas with an RBI double from freshman C Chris Cowell and an RBI single from freshman DH Pat Sandman later in the inning. After the dust cleared, Richmond led by three and never looked back.

"Adam played a great game today," said McQueen. "He had a solid game defensively, had some good at bats and made things happened on the bases."

The Spiders added insurance with a pair of runs in the seventh - a two-run bomb by Brown - another run in the eighth - sophomore CF Andrew Lowry's sacrifice fly.

Brown was two-for-four with three RBI, with sophomore 1B Mike Mergenthaler and Ruzbarksy each collecting two hits.

After sophomore starter Billy Falasco fanned five in 4.2 innings of work, the Richmond bullpen kept the Keydets at bay for the balance and senior Josh Horn (2-0) was credited with the victory. Horn went 2.1 innings with a strikeout, while sophomore Anthony Cafagna worked two hitless innings with three punchouts.

McConnell got things started for Richmond by leading the game off with a double and later scoring thanks to an RBI from Mergenthaler. VMI struck for runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 2-1 lead, but McConnell singled home Lowry in fourth for the equalizer.

VMI took a 4-2 lead in the fifth with Tanner Biagini's two-run home run, knocking Falasco out of the game. Biagini had two hits and A.J. Yoder added three and scored twice.

Keydet starter Jeremy Brown turned the game over to his bullpen in the fifth and watched his defense unravel and lead fizzle. A total of five relievers allowed Richmond eight hits and eight runs, as VMI committed six errors in the game -- but just one of the runs was unearned. Adam Kruithof was tagged the loss.

Richmond, which hadn't beaten VMI since winning 6-3 at Pitt Field on March 3, 2004, returns to action this weekend, hosting Iona in a three-game series that starts Friday at 2:30 p.m.