The Collegian
Friday, March 29, 2024

Richmond falls to Georgetown in close game

<p>First-year pitcher Alden Mathes goes to bat during the game on Friday, Feb. 28 against Georgetown University. <em>Photo courtesy of Richmond Athletics</em></p>

First-year pitcher Alden Mathes goes to bat during the game on Friday, Feb. 28 against Georgetown University. Photo courtesy of Richmond Athletics

The baseball team lost a tight game against Georgetown University on Friday after going into extra innings. The Hoyas tied the score 7-7 at the top of the ninth inning, but they defeated the Spiders 11-8 after a grand slam in the top of the 10th. 

The Spiders started strong, taking a 6-0 lead over the Hoyas in the first inning before Georgetown caught up in the top of the 5th. Despite the 11-8 loss, the score remained close throughout the game, with the Spiders often leading. 

An extra-innings grand slam by Georgetown, however, was too much to overcome. 

Redshirt junior Tim Miller started on the mound for the Spiders and kept the Hoyas at bay in the first two innings. In the third inning, Georgetown’s Yareb Martinez hit one to the fence past sophomore centerfielder Johnny Hipsman, driving in their catcher, Tony Barreca. 

Miller let up five runs in the third inning before junior pitcher Antonio Balducci entered in relief. Balducci pitched three innings, giving up one unearned run while striking out five. 

The team's top hitting performances included graduate student and outfielder Dan Leckie, who went 4-for-6 and drove in two runs. First-year pitcher Alden Mathes went 4-for-4 with one RBI. 

As a first-year, Mathes said he was excited about being put into a bigger role on the team. 

“I’m happy that I’m performing well right now,” Mathes said.

Redshirt junior and catcher Drew Blakely hit his first home run as a Spider, which gave the Spiders a 7-6 lead after the team had been held scoreless for five consecutive innings.

In the top of the tenth inning, Georgetown’s Ryan Davis hit a grand slam. In the bottom of the inning, the Spiders scored their last run off of a balk. The Hoyas' pitching held Richmond scoreless the rest of the way. 

Though the team has had a slow start to the season winning two of its first 11 games, its players are hopeful. 

“I have a lot of great teammates around me," Mathes said. "And when we click, we are going to win a whole lot of baseball games."

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Contact sports writer Grace Mittl at grace.mittl@richmond.edu

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