Spiders go under .500 after game against Towson

The University of Richmond baseball team’s record fell to 10-11 after a loss against the Towson University Tigers this Wednesday.

UR swept Siena College last weekend with three offensive-heavy games amounting to 25 runs scored across the weekend. 

Head coach Tracy Woodson acknowledged that the Spiders typically struggle with midweek games. 

“We’re trying to save pitchers for the weekend,” Woodson said. “We just don’t do well with midweek [games].”

Towson started the game strong by scoring two runs off of sophomore right-handed pitcher Jake Michel. Three runners got on base before the first out of the inning until a double play from junior shortstop Mikey Kluska to sophomore first-baseman Jake Elbeery got the Spiders two outs.

The two runs went unanswered by the Spiders until the bottom of the second. First-year third-baseman Jordan Jaffe knocked a double down the left-field line to bring home junior second-baseman Jared Sprague-Lott and left-fielder Johnny Hipsman. Sprague-Lott and Hipsman both previously reached base on line-drive singles. 

Hipsman had an impressive game offensively, scoring two runs with three hits and five at bats. 

“I think I just relaxed a little bit more,” Hipsman said when asked about his mentality with batting this game. “Tried not to stress up there.”

The game remained stagnant with no runs until an eventful top of the fifth inning, with Towson bringing in six runs. Michel allowed three runs in the inning before junior pitcher Cole Hentschel replaced him on the mound. Hentschel allowed three runs before ending the inning with a fly out to the center field, making the score 2-8 with Towson on top. 

UR continued to battle back against the Tigers in the bottom of the fifth inning. Redshirt junior catcher Zach Lass singled to left field, followed by an identical hit by Hipsman. The two runners reached home after a single down the middle from Kluska. This hit brought the Spiders to a score of 4-8.

Towson surged ahead again in the top of the seventh inning scoring two runs. UR used two pitchers in the seventh starting the inning with first-year pitcher Chase Topolski. Topolski started the inning with a strikeout before walking two batters. He allowed two runs before junior Dane Armson replaced him on the mound.

Towson’s runs did not go unanswered by the Spiders in the bottom of the seventh. Sprague-Lott walked and reached home after Jaffe slammed a double to left center field. Junior Chase Conklin entered the game as a designated hitter and drove home Jaffe with a single up the middle. 

UR’s attempts to tighten the score were quickly thwarted by Towson in the eighth inning as they tacked on two more runs against Armson. Junior Harrison Clifton threw the last inning of the game with two strikeouts. 

The Spiders will face St. John’s University for a three-game series this weekend at the Jack Kaiser Stadium. 

Contact sports writer Lucia Helmers at lucia.helmers@richmond.edu.