June 1, 2002

Box Score

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - One out. Game-tying run on second. Richmond relief pitcher Andy Givens forces a fly ball from Ryan Johnson that Spider center fielder Bryan Pritz camps under. Wake Forest's Adam Bourassa attempts to take third on the fly ball but Pritz fires a strike to third baseman David Reaver whose swipe tags ends the game and gives No. 24 Richmond a 3-2 win against No. 4 Wake Forest and a trip to the Regional Final.

Include a 2:07 rain delay and this drama turned into an epic. For the winner went elation and a night's rest to prepare for a 1:30 p.m. game in tomorrow's Regional Final at Ernie Shore Field. To the loser went a match up with third-seeded Navy for the chance to face the Spiders tomorrow. The Midshipmen defeated George Washington, 6-4 in the day's first game to advance in the loser's bracket final.

Sophomore Tim Stauffer continued his outstanding season and gained sole possession of the national lead for wins when he improved to 15-2 after allowing two runs, one earned, in 7.0 innings. Included in his historic performance was returning after the long rain delay and containing the Demon Deacons. Stauffer set the single-season record for innings pitched and strikeouts today.

The Spiders (51-10) were outhit 7-6 by the Demon Deacons (45-12-1) but received a two-run home run by Matt Craig in the first and a solo shot from Chris Dolan in the fourth that proved to be the game-winning hit.

The game started on a good note when Stauffer worked out of trouble and Craig put the Spiders in front with his 18th homer of the season in the first. After Wake cut the lead in half on a Ryder Mathias RBI single, the Spiders answered in their half of the fifth when Dolan smacked his eighth homer, over the center field wall.

Stauffer gave way to Givens for the eighth. Givens worked out of trouble with a ground ball double play before ending the game on a fly ball double play in the ninth. He earned his seventh save of the season after throwing 2.0 innings of hitless baseball.

Reaver notched two doubles on the day, extending his school record to 101 hits and 28 doubles. Sophomore Adam Tidball extended his hit streak to 13 games with a sixth-inning double.