University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Richmond
Walk Off Win For Baseball Against Richmond, 7-6
April 10, 2010 | Baseball
April 10, 2010
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AMHERST, Mass. - Heads up base running by senior Mike Donato helped the UMass baseball team walk off with a 7-6 win over Richmond in 13 innings on Saturday at Earl Lorden Field. The marathon game one of the doubleheader lasted three hours and 49 minutes, resulting in game two being suspended due to darkness. With the Spiders holding a 9-3 advantage heading into the top of the seventh, the second game of the series will be resumed on Sunday at noon, prior to the series finale between UMass (3-16, 2-5 A-10) and Richmond (14-14, 2-5 A-10).
The Minutemen began the afternoon by jumping all over starter Billy Falasco in the first two innings, touching up the right-hander for four runs on seven hits. With two down in the first, three straight singles by junior Matt Gedman, senior Mike Donato and senior Brian Baudinet resulted in the first run of the afternoon.
Then in the UMass half of the second, junior Peter Copa sent a 1-2 pitch off the top of the fence in deep center, missing a home run by inches, for a leadoff triple. The next batter, sophomore Tom Conley, drew a walk and with one out, freshman Ryan Cusick dropped a double into right to knock in Copa. Junior Eric Fredette followed with a two-run single up the middle that plated Conley and Cusick to give the Minutemen a 4-0 lead.
Richmond took two of the runs back in its next turn at bat. Back-to-back walks to Victor Croglio and Robby Massar to begin the frame later resulted in a pair of RBI for Derek Boliek. The runners scored on Boliek's bunt single as the ball rolled away from Mike Gedman at first in an attempt to apply the tag on the runner as the ball was perfectly placed down the first base line.
UMass answered with a run in the bottom of the third to move the score to 5-2. Baudinet drew a one-out walk and went on to cross the plate on an RBI single through the left side by Conley.
Following a double by Donato with two away in the fourth, the UMass bats went silent as reliever Jared Bard retired the Minutemen in order in the fourth and the fifth, allowing the Spiders an opportunity for a comeback.
With runners on second and third via a single and a fielder's choice with two out in the top of the sixth, the Spiders managed to pull within one of UMass at 5-4. On a fly ball hit to center that would have ended the inning, Cameron Brown and Chris Cowell scampered home on the missed catch.
Boliek drove a 1-1 pitch over the fence in right to level the score at 5-5 in the top of the seventh before Richmond pulled in front the following inning. Cowell reached on an error in the eighth then, with Croglio caught in a rundown between first and second, came in to score before the final out of the inning was recorded.
The Minutemen managed tie things up at six in the bottom of the eighth without logging a hit. Conley reached on a fielder's choice, sandwiched between hit batsmen Copa and Garrett Glashoff, to load the bases for UMass with no outs. After Cusick lined out to third, Copa scored on a wild pitch with Fredette at the plate. Despite Fredette earning a four-pitch walk to fill the bases once again, the Spiders escaped the jam without any further damage, ultimately forcing extra innings.
Richmond threatened to re-take the lead in the top of the 11th with runners on first and third with no outs, but sophomore Leif Sorenson worked out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts and a defensive gem by Copa on a line drive to third.
Donato broke up the stretch of six straight innings without a hit for the Minutemen, beginning the bottom of the 11th with a double to right center, but could not score from third after moving up on a sacrifice bunt.
Then in the 13th, Donato was hit by a pitch to start UMass' turn at the plate and moved to second on a passed ball with Baudinet in the batter's box. Baudinet drew a four-pitch walk to give the Minutemen a pair of base runners and, following a strikeout by Mike Gedman, Copa hit a ball to the base of the fence in left center. With the runners tagging up on the deep fly, Donato went to third and was able to come home as cut-off man, Spiders' shortstop Adam McConnell, mishandled the ball on the relay.
In relief of sophomore Nick Serino, who racked up 10 strikeouts in seven innings on the hill, Sorenson earned the win (1-1) after his stellar outing. The sophomore sidearmer allowed just one unearned run on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts as he tossed six innings. Ian Marshall took the loss (2-2) for Richmond. He surrendered two runs, one earned, on two hits with five walks and five strikeouts over 6.1 innings.
Donato was 3-for-5 in the contest with a pair of doubles and scored the winning run to lead the way for UMass. Cusick finished the day 3-for-7 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Fredette drove in two and Copa scored twice.
Mergenthaller batted 3-for-6 for the Spiders, who tallied 12 hits. Boliek was 2-for-6 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored. Evan Stehle was the only remaining Richmond player to finish with more than one hit as he was 2-for-6 on the day.
The Minutemen will wrap up their series with the Spiders tomorrow, Apr. 11, beginning with the conclusion of game two at noon. Game three will follow the resumption of game two.
