Baseball Atlantic 10 Conference

Spiders Beat UMass A-10 Baseball Championship Opener

May 23, 2012

2012 Baseball Game 1 UM-UR Get Acrobat Reader

BRONX, N.Y.--Richmond likes the long ball.

The fifth-seeded Spiders hit three home runs to beat No. 4 Massachusetts 9-5 Wednesday in the first game of the 2012 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championships at Fordham's Houlihan Park.

Richmond (28-24) advanced to Thursday to face top-seeded Saint Louis while UMass (22-20) will play again Wednesday night in the double-elimination tournament against the loser of game two between No. 3 Rhode Island and No. 6 Saint Joseph's.

Starter Alex Maffett (5-2) picked up the win for Richmond, allowing four runs, all earned, on 10 hits with three strikeouts. Andrew Brockett picked up his sixth save of the year, striking out five, half the batters he faced. Brockett surrendered two hits and a single run in 2.1 innings pitched.  Dennis Torres (4-4) took the loss for UMass, allowing 10 hits and six runs, five of which were earned. Torres also had three strikeouts.

Richmond wasted no time taking a quick lead in the first inning, when designated hitter Jacob Mayers hit a three-run homer down the left field line, scoring centerfielder Matt Zink, who opened the game with a double and third baseman Adam McConnell who was hit on the first pitch.

UMass first baseman Dylan Begin extended his 17-game hitting streak, the longest active streak in the A-10, with a second-inning single.

UMass got one run back in the bottom of the first when right fielder Kyle Adie, who reached on a double, scored on an RBI single by centerfielder Anthony Serino. The Minutemen then tied it with a pair of third-inning runs. Catcher Tom Conley drove in second baseman Rob McLam, who reached on a walk, with an RBI single. Adie then scored his second run of the game on single to left by first baseman Dylan Begin.

The Spiders took the lead for good when Catcher Chris Cowell homered to left center to score Mayers, who reached on a lead-off walk. Right fielder Phil Ruzbarsky, who reached on a single, added one final run by stealing home on a double steal in conjunction with left fielder Bryan Conway, who stole second on the play.

Richmond added three more runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Ruzbarsky hit a solo home run, UR's third dinger of the game for the run in the seventh. An RBI single by Mayers scored Zink and a bases loaded walk that plated Mayers completed the UR scoring.

Massachusetts tried to rally in the ninth, loading the bases and scoring a single run on an RBI groundout by Conley that drove in left fielder Rich Graef. A final groundout ended the rally and gave UR the win.

Zink went 3-for-6 and Ruzbarsky was 3-for-5 to lead Richmond. Mayers had four RBI for the Spiders. Serino went 3-for-5 with two RBI to lead the Minutemen. Conley also had two RBI.

 

 

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