Baseball's Bats Awaken; Takes Down Richmond, 14-12

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RICHMOND, VA.   Richmond brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning; however, red-shirt junior Matt Singer (Bayonne, N.J.) struck out Ryan Metzroth with two-outs as the Pirates held off the Spiders in their biggest offensive production of the season, 14-12, Sunday afternoon in Richmond. The Pirates recorded 10 hits in addition to their 14 runs as they improved their 2009 overall record to 3-4.

Chris Cuppia scored to cut the Pirates lead to, 14-12, in the bottom of the ninth on a Seton Hall throwing error, yet Metzroth swung and missed on a 2-2 pitch from Singer with Cameron Brown on third base to end the game.

Trailing, 3-0, entering the top of the second of the inning, the Pirates recorded their biggest inning of the year by scoring seven runs for a four-run lead.  It began when sophomore Sean Gusrang (Burlington, N.J.) and junior Chris Fontenelli (Toms River, N.J.) drew back-to-walks.  Junior Michael Rogers (Portland, Ore.) followed with an RBI double, cutting the lead to, 3-1.

Sophomore Ed Brown (Edison, N.J.) loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch, which led to an RBI walk by sophomore A.J. Rusbarsky (Freehold, N.J.).  After junior Chris Spagnuolo (Tabernacle, N.J.) tied the game with a sacrifice-fly to center field, red-shirt junior Matt Smedberg (Rockaway, N.J.) walked to load the bases once again.

A wild pitch scored Brown to give the Pirates a, 4-3, lead and red-shirt sophomore Frank Esposito (Staten Island, N.Y.) delivered a two-run double.  Esposito scored the final run of the inning when Gusrang reached on a Richmond error.

Richmond repeated their first inning by scoring three-runs to cut the Pirate lead to, 7-6, and added the tying run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Andrew Lowry smacked 1-0, one-out pitch scoring Billy Barber from second base.

With the score tied at seven, the Pirates unloaded for five more run in the top of the eighth.  Brown brought home Fontenelli when he reached base on a fielder’s choice.  With one-out Smedberg hit an RBI single to center field, and senior Chris Affinito (East Brunswick, N.J.) drove home the final runs with his first home run of the season, a two-run blast to left field.

With the Pirates ahead, 12-7, Richmond would not go quietly following Seton Hall’s five run eighth with a four run bottom of the eighth, led by a two run home run by Brown and RBI singles by Adam McConnell and Evan Stehle.  

The Hall added two runs in the top of the ninth when Rusbarsky drove a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Fontenelli.  Rogers scored on the same play from a Richmond throwing error.

Rusbarsky, Fontenelli, and Rogers, led the Pirates offense with two hits, while Rusbarsky, Spagnuolo, Affinito, and Esposito drove in two RBI each.  In addition to his two hits, Fontenelli finished his day scoring three runs.

Singer (1-1) picked up the victory after allowing two earned runs on five hits in two innings of work, while Billy Falasco (0-1) took the loss surrendering two runs on two hits in two innings of relief.

The Pirates and Spiders will return to action Monday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

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