April 4, 2006

Box Score

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond Baseball blasted a season-high three homers Tuesday to top visiting James Madison, 13-10, at Pitt Field. Richmond, winners of four of its last five, moved to 10-16 on the season while JMU fell to 19-11. The Spiders will look for another home victory Wednesday, when they host previously-ranked Virginia at Pitt Field. First pitch against the `Hoos is slated for 3 p.m.

Freshman Ian Marshall, who was making his second start in four days after lasting just 0.2 innings Saturday against UMass, looked shaky early by allowing the first two to reach. After a wild pitch and stolen base, JMU scored the game's first run on a passed ball by junior catcher Matt McKenna. Marshall settled in to strikeout the side and leave one runner on. He moved on to retire each of the next seven in order into the fourth.

Richmond, which answered with at least one run each inning the Dukes scored, plated two in the bottom of the first on back-to-back RBI-singles from freshman Cameron Brown and senior Andrew Justice. The Spiders lengthened their lead in the second when McKenna hit his second homerun of the season to lead-off the inning.

After retiring 10-straight, including five punchouts, Marshall allowed five-straight one-out hits in the fourth. The Dukes drove in four with those five basehits and scored another on a double-steal to take a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. Richmond answered with a six-spot of its own to retake the lead at 9-6, and never relinquished it.

Justice walked to lead-off the inning and was followed by junior Alex Wotring's second homer of the season. Senior Ben Zeskind added a two-out run-scoring single, before sophomore Joe Mahoney drove in three with a dinger to centerfield, his second of the season. The two homeruns in the fourth marked the first time since April 17, 2005 against George Washington, the Spiders have hit two or more homers in the same inning.

Richmond scored single runs in the fifth and sixth, and plated two in the seventh pushing its total to 13. Marshall faced five in the fifth and stranded two, to make him the pitcher of record. The Gaithersburg, Md., native ended the day by allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and one walk, while striking our seven in 5.0 innings.

Freshman Kyle Leith came on in the sixth and pitched into the eighth before giving way to senior Wyatt Stewart. Leith allowed one baserunner in the sixth and gave up an unearned run in the seventh extending his streak of zero earned runs allowed to what ended at 9.2 innings. The streak stopped when the Naples, Fla., native allowed a two-out two-run double in the eighth, cutting Richmond's lead to four runs. Stewart came in to record the last out of the eighth, and got one out in the ninth before the Dukes put runners at second and third. Sophomore Brian Alas then took the mound and fanned the first hitter he faced, fighting back for a 3-0 count. He then got JMU's Kellen Kulbacki, who came into the contest hitting .491, to groundout garnering his first-career save and secure the 13-10 win for Marshall.

Richmond, winners of four of its last five host previously-ranked Virginia, Wednesday, April 5 at Pitt Field. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.

Game Notes:
-- Richmond's two homeruns in the fourth marked the first time since April 17, 2005, against George Washington, the Spiders have hit two or more homers in one inning.
-- Sophomore Joe Mahoney set a career-best with four RBI on the day. The Troy, N.Y., native drove in three with his second homer of the season and extended his career-long hit streak to 10 games.
-- Freshman Cameron Brown's single in the first extended his hit streak to a team-best 12 games. The freshman has also driven in at least one run in each of the last six ballgames.
-- Freshman Kyle Leith ran his zero earned runs allowed streak 9.2 before giving up a two-out two-run double in the eighth.
-- Tonight's game was the longest nine-inning contest of the season for the Spiders at 3:24.
-- Sophomore Brian Alas picked up his first career save, while freshman Ian Marshall earned his first career win.
-- The Spiders' three homeruns mark the most in a single game this season registered by Richmond.
-- Richmond has scored 56 runs over its last five contests dating back to March 29. In that string the Spiders have won four of the five.
-- Juniors Matt McKenna (7) and Vince Riggi (5) and senior Ben Zeskind (4) all extended hit streaks in today's contest.