Spiders lose second straight, 15-9, to Princeton

After losing in a high-scoring contest Saturday, the Richmond Spiders had a similar performance on Sunday as they lost the third and final game of the series against Princeton University, 15-9.

In the early innings, the game was low scoring. Freshman Ryan Cook, Richmond's starting pitcher, was strong, allowing just one run through the first four innings.

"Ryan Cook did outstanding," Richmond coach Mark McQueen said. "He came out and mixed three pitches for strikes and kept the [Princeton batters] off balance."

His only run let up in the first four innings came when freshman left fielder Eric Flanagan misjudged a fly ball in the first inning.

The Spiders offense got going in the fourth inning, when senior right fielder Phil Ruzbarsky led off with a double to begin a two-run inning.

"We're putting together better at-bats," Ruzbarsky said. "We're putting together at-bats where we're battling, fighting off pitches and then getting into counts where we're either advancing to the next guy with a walk or getting that clutch hit."

After the fourth inning, the Spiders continued to put together good at-bats, scoring seven more runs between the fifth and eighth innings.

The Spiders couldn't keep the Tigers down, though, as Princeton put up 12 runs during that same span. Princeton's run began in the fifth inning. A lead-off single, a missed double play and a hit batter put three runners on base. With two outs, Tigers catcher Sam Mulroy blasted a three-run home run over the left field fence.

Cook continued to struggle in the sixth inning, allowing two singles before getting pulled for sophomore reliever Andrew Brockett. Being a righty, Brockett had a disadvantage against a mostly lefty Princeton lineup.

McQueen was forced to use only right-handed relievers because his most relied upon left-hander, Bret Williams, was unavailable after pitching in Friday's game.

"We didn't have any left handers in the bullpen to match up with their left-handed batters," McQueen said. "That just hurt us all weekend. We're very limited with what we have left healthy to use. There weren't a whole lot of moves I could make."

Brockett struggled, allowing four runs during the 1.1 innings he pitched. However, only one of those runs was earned. The Spiders struggled to field in the glare of the sunlight, committing three errors in the game.

By the eighth inning, the game was in hand for Princeton with a 12-7 lead, but it never let up. The Tigers scored three runs in the final inning to clinch their fourth victory of the season.

"They're a good hitting club and that's the difference in the game right there," McQueen said. "They're going to be real good this year."

The Spiders get a chance to end their two-game losing streak against Virginia Commonwealth University on Tuesday, playing at 3 p.m. at Pitt Field.

"That's the great thing about baseball," Ruzbarsky said, "you don't have too much down time to sit around and think about the loss.

"You got the opportunity to come back and bounce back right away. We're going to just stick with it, not hang our heads, learn from our mistakes, come back and give VCU a good fight."

Contact reporter Will Offit at will.offit@richmond.edu