Spider Sports Recap | Week of March 20

Women’s Basketball 

March 20: Loss 74-64 vs. the University of Rhode Island 

After a 23-point victory over the University of Pennsylvania in the first round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, the Spiders’ season came to a close with a loss in the second round of the tournament against URI. The Spiders were only down by four points through one quarter and were even ahead early in the second quarter, but at halftime UR trailed the Rams by 10 points. In the second half, the Spiders were unable to cut the deficit and ultimately fell by 10 points when the final buzzer sounded. Junior forward Addie Budnik scored 20 points in the game. First-year forward Maggie Doogan and junior guard Grace Townsend shared the load offensively, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively. UR finished the season with a 21-11 overall record and the program’s first trip to the WNIT since the 2014-2015 season. 

Baseball 

March 22: Loss 12-6 vs. Towson University

After three straight wins in their series against Siena College, the baseball team was unable to keep their winning streak alive against Towson, losing by six runs at Pitt Field. The game was evenly matched through the first four innings as the Spiders and Tigers were all tied up at two runs apiece. However, Towson scored six runs in the fifth inning and never looked back. The Spiders got within four runs of the Tigers, but scoreless eighth and ninth innings did not help the Spiders’ case for any sort of comeback. Redshirt senior left fielder Johnny Hipsman scored two runs on three hits and first-year third baseman Jordan Jaffe notched two hits and three RBIs. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Jake Michel took the loss on the mound as he totaled eight earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched.

March 24: Double-header vs. St. John’s University 

The Spiders started off their two-game slate against St. John’s with a 5-2 lead against the Red Storm through the first five innings of the first game. However, six unanswered runs scored by St. John’s put UR’s lead to bed and gave the Red Storm the victory in the first of two games. In the first game, Jaffe went 3 for 4 in the batter’s box and scored two runs. In the second game, the Spiders snapped their two-game losing streak and bounced back with a 3-2 win over the Red Storm. Junior second baseman Jared Sprague-Lott went 1 for 3 with a homerun in the fifth inning. On the mound, graduate right-handed pitcher Brenden Argomaniz picked up the win, throwing for four strikeouts across five innings. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Esteban Rodriguez picked up the save, throwing eight strikeouts in the final four innings. 

March 26: Loss 5-3 vs. St. John’s University 

After splitting the first two games of the series, the Spiders lost 5-3 in the series finale against St. John’s. UR held a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Red Storm scored four runs and eventually won 5-3 to win the series. Sprague-Lott hit his second homer of the series and went 1 for 3 in the game. Redshirt junior catcher Jason Neff went 3 for 4 from the plate. Out of six pitchers who took the mound for the Spiders, junior right-handed pitcher Dan Armson took the loss. The Spiders’ next game is at home against Longwood University at 2:30 p.m. March 28. 

Women’s Lacrosse 

March 22: Win 20-7 vs. George Mason University 

After a win at home against Virginia Commonwealth University, the women’s lacrosse team emerged victorious 20-7 against George Mason at E. Claiborne Robins Stadium. Through the first two quarters, the score remained close, as the Spiders only held a three goal lead heading into halftime. However, UR’s offense started to pick up in the second half as the Spiders pulled ahead on the scoreboard. In the third quarter, UR outscored GMU 8-1 and led the Patriots 17-7 heading into quarter four. In the final quarter, the Spiders added three more goals to their total and held the Patriots scoreless for the rest of the game. Senior attacker Arden Tierney, who was recently named the A-10’s Women’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week, and sophomore attacker Colleen Quinn led the way with four goals apiece. Tierney also dished out three assists, something sophomore midfielder Grace Muldoon did as well. 

March 25: Win 15-9 vs. Saint Joseph’s University 

The Spiders notched their fourth straight win away against Saint Joseph's University. This win gave the team its ninth win of the season and put UR’s record at 9-2 as the latter half of the season gets underway. The Spiders were consistent through the first three quarters, scoring three goals in each quarter. But it was in the fourth quarter where the Spiders truly turned on the jets, scoring six goals to pull ahead and seal the game. Senior midfielder Lindsey Frank scored five goals on eight shots and was backed by Quinn who had three goals. Frank scored 33 goals through the team’s first 11 games, making her average goals scored per game three. UR’s next game is away against St. Bonaventure University at 11 a.m. April 1. 

Track & Field

March 23-25: Raleigh Relays

The Spiders traveled to Raleigh, NC to compete in the Raleigh Relays hosted by North Carolina State University. After three days of competition at the event, the Spiders garnered some strong finishes from their runners. Graduate student Kyra Keurentjes finished in ninth place out of 123 runners in the 800m. Keurentjes’ time of 4:28.95 in the 1500m also qualified for a spot in the ECAC Championships alongside senior Kayla O’Connell, who finished with a time of 4:32.29. First-year Caroline Donohoe’s 2:11.73 finish in the 800m outdoor event and juniors Madison Trippett and Elizabeth Stockman’s respective 17:14.49 and 17:13.65 finishes in the 5k will also take them to the ECAC Championships. The Spiders’ next track & field event will take place at the Texas Relays from March 29 to April 1. 

Men’s Tennis

March 23: Win 4-0 vs. Longwood University

After a 5-1 loss to Furman University, the men’s tennis team bounced back with a 4-0 win over Longwood in Farmville, VA. In doubles play, the Spiders won two out of their three matches, with wins coming from graduate student William Karpinski and junior Daniel Kliebhan and then graduate students Alex Wernink and John Walsh. On the singles side, Kliebhan and Karpinski both picked up victories alongside junior Sebastian Miano. Wernink, Walsh and first-year Mark Taranov’s respective singles matches all went unfinished. After the win, the men’s tennis team’s record sits at 10-5. The team’s next game is away against GMU March 31 and will be UR’s first Atlantic 10 matchup of the season. 

Men’s Lacrosse 

March 25: Win 11-8 vs. St. John’s University 

After a two-week stretch of no games, the men’s lacrosse team played St. John’s away and won 11-8. The team’s last game against No. 20 Georgetown University resulted in a one-goal loss, but this time around, the Spiders emerged victorious. The game started slow for UR, as the team found themselves down 6-2 heading into halftime. However, the Spiders outscored the Red Storm 6-2 in quarter three and fought back to tie things up at 8-8 heading into the fourth quarter. UR held St. John’s scoreless for the remaining 15 minutes and wound up defeating the Red Storm by three goals after a slow start. Defensively, redshirt sophomore goalie Zach Vigue notched 11 saves and graduate defenseman Jake Saunders, who was named A-10 defensive player of the week, had forced five caused turnovers and picked up four ground balls. On the offensive side, junior midfielder Lance Madonna led the way with three goals. With five regular season games remaining, the Spiders’ record sits at 5-3. The team’s next game is away against Saint Joseph’s at 1 p.m. April 1. 

Women’s Tennis

March 26: Loss 4-0 vs. Elon University 

The women’s tennis team traveled to Greensboro, NC to take on the Phoenix in an away match. Elon dominated in doubles play as the Spiders could not capture a win in either of their doubles matches. Singles play fared similarly, as no Spiders took home a victory in their matches, resulting in a 4-0 loss for UR. On the day, three of UR’s singles matches were unfinished. This was the team’s sixth loss in a row and 12th loss on the season. The team’s next match is against University of Delaware at the Westhampton Tennis Complex at 3 p.m. March 30. 

Contact sports editor Jimmy James at jimmy.james@richmond.edu