DAVIDSON, N.C. – Sparked by yet-another sensational offensive showcase, seventh-seeded Richmond (30-25, 11-13 A-10) consistently managed to stay one step ahead of No. 1 overall Davidson (43-13, 20-4 A-10) in the win-or-go-home Atlantic 10 Championship Semifinal, dethroning the regular-season champs behind a 12-9 decision late Friday evening at Wilson Field.

With the victory, the Spiders lock down the final position within Saturday's A-10 Championship Final, coincidentally taking on cross-city rival and defending champion VCU, first pitch slated for noon. Should UR come out on top in the opener, an 'if necessary' game will be played immediately following the conclusion of the first. Both contests will be broadcast live via ESPN+.

A back-and-forth opening sequence saw both Richmond and Davidson grab early leads, as the Spiders led off with a Dominic Toso RBI double in the opening frame before Michael Carico and John Hosmer each added a run for the 'Cats in the bottom of the first and second, respectively.

A Johnny Hipsman two-run shot in the third proved a decisive turning point for UR, garning the Spiders an advantage they would never surrender. Zach Lass tacked on another score in the fourth via a solo dinger of his own, pushing the Richmond edge out to 4-2.

A pair of Wildcats RBI off the Jacob Friend and Jake Wilhoit re-closed the gap for Davidson, but a quick Spiders response in the fifth secured the contest in favor of Richmond. A Hipsman RBI triple opened the flood gates before the a pair of RBI singles from Jake Elbeery and Jared Sprague-Lott washed in for the fatal blow.

Even after Davidson narrowed the gap with RBI off the bats of Hosmer and Friend, respectively, the UR offense continued to roll for the next three innings, scoring five runs across the sixth, eighth and ninth frames.

The 'Cats attempted a dramatic comeback in the home half of the ninth, as a Ryan Wilson solo blast along with a Henry Koehler two-run shot – both with zero outs – narrowd the deficit to just three, but back-to-back strikeouts and a pop-up closed the door on the rally.