April 19, 2008

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UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Richmond baseball team dropped the first game of Saturday's doubleheader in 12 innings, 16-12, and allowed Rhode Island to rally with four runs in the top of the ninth and tie the nightcap, 8-8, Saturday at Pitt Field. The second game was called after nine innings due to darkness and is officially declared a tie. Senior Joe White had six hits, two RBI and scored five runs in the twinbill.

It was a pair of four-run innings for the visiting Rams (19-19-1, 8-6-1) that spelled disaster for the Spiders. With a 12-12 game in the 12th inning in game one, Rhode Island struck for four in the top of the frame and reliever Tim Boyce set the Richmond down quietly to win its eighth-consecutive game.

The nightcap saw the Spiders (15-22-2, 6-8-1) take a four-run lead to the ninth, but a four-spot - including a game-tying, pinch-hit homer with two outs - allowed the Rams to draw even and the game was called due to darkness after the Spiders went in order in bottom of the ninth.

White finished the day six-for-11 out of the leadoff spot for Richmond, including a four-for-five performance in the nightcap. Senior Hank Coogan had five hits on the day, while freshman Billy Barber had two hits in game two, including his first home run - a solo shot - since March 20.

Rhode Island jumped out to a 5-0 lead early in game one, but the Spiders came storming back sending 12 batters to the plate in the third inning and putting eight runs on the board. Sophomore Chris Cuppia got the inning started with a double and laced an RBI single later in the frame.

A see-saw battled ensued from there and five runs by Rhody over the seventh and eighth innings put the visitors back in the lead at 12-11. The go-ahead runs came on a two-run home runs by Mike O'Malley to deep left.

White reached on error in the eighth, moved to second on an Evan Stehle single and reached third on Ryan Metzroth's sacrifice bunt. The second RBI of the day from Mike Mergenthaler drove White home and tied the game for the third time.

Richmond used just three pitchers in its longest game of the season. Starter Jared Bard went three and turned it over to Alex Hale, who lasted six innings and allowed five runs (two earned) with four strikeouts. Although setting down six-consecutive Rams in the 10th and 11th innings, Josh Horn would take the loss as things unraveled in the 12th - with the decisive blow being a bases-clearing double by Zach Zaneski off the top of the center-field wall.

Richmond seemed to have the nightcap in control, with the offense putting five early runs on the board and sophomore starter Matt Zielinski working on a gem. The lefty scattered seven hits over seven innings with seven strikeouts, giving up a pair of solo homers in the middle innings and two more tallies in the seventh that allowed URI to pull within a run at 5-4.

White roped a two-RBI double to highlight the Spiders' four-run second inning. Barber's homer made it 5-0 in the third. After Rhode made it 5-4, the Spiders struck for three more in the eighth, thanks to an RBI single from Hank Coogan and a two-run single from Stehle.

The ninth saw URI pinch-hitter Evan Laude drive in two with a double down the right-field line to make it 8-6. Tom Coulombe's sacrifice fly made it 8-7 and in dramatic fashion, pinch-hitter Jeff Cammans launched a two-out, first-pitch, game-tying home run to right field off reliever Daniel Clark.

The Spiders went in order in the bottom of the ninth and the game was called due to darkness.

Atlantic 10 policy states that the final game of any A-10 series is exempt from the league's suspended-game policy, meaning the game would not be resumed Sunday and it would be officially declared a tie.