Feb. 28, 2004

Box Score

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The University of Richmond baseball team lost, 7-6, to Ohio State this afternoon, in its first game of the Baseball at the Beach tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Sophomore Andrew Justice and freshman Vince Riggi led the Spiders with two hits apiece.

Junior Thomas Martin (Charlottesville, Va.) hurled 101 pitches, struck out nine, allowed only five hits and four runs during his six innings of action for the Spiders. Seniors Matt McLoughlin (Del Mar, Calif.) and Nathan Kuchta (Victor, N.Y) took over for Martin and split time in the seventh. Freshman Rob Berzinskas (Clinton, Conn.) came in with two outs in the eighth and finished out the game for the Spiders.

The Buckeyes (1-2) grabbed the early 2-0 lead in the second inning, on no hits, when Paul Farinacci scored off a wild pitch by Martin and Kris Moorman scored off a sacrifice bunt from teammate Brett Garrard. The lead was only the second one of the season for OSU.

In the third, Ohio State added another run when Moorman recorded a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Drew Anderson. Jedidiah Stephen crossed the plate in the fourth when Mike Rabin singled to second base.

The Spiders (3-1) responded in the fourth scoring two runs on three hits. Freshman Josh Farkes (Boston, Mass.) and Justice (Henderson, N.C.) both reached base on singles to left field. With two outs, Riggi (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) recorded his first hit of the season when he singled to right field, allowing Farkes and Justice to score.

Richmond claimed the lead in the fifth with four runs on four hits. Senior Bobby LeNoir (Wilmington, Del.) and sophomore Ben Zeskind (Miami, Fla.) opened the inning with singles to right-center field setting-up junior Jim Fasano (Horsham, Pa.), who singled to right field and allowed LeNoir and Zeskind to score and tie the contest at four. Justice hit a two-run homerun over the left field wall to give the Spiders the 6-4 lead. The dinger marked the first for Justice as a Spider.

In the seventh, Ohio State evened the game at six with a two-run homerun, by Steve Caravati, to left-center field.

In the eighth, the Buckeyes claimed the 7-6 lead and the win with a single to left field from Anderson, allowing Stephen to score.

The Spiders return to the field with two games on Sunday, February 28. Richmond will face Kent State at 10 a.m. and close out the weekend against Coastal Carolina at 4:30 p.m.