Sweeping Spiders take round two, too

Taylor Howsmon
Contributing Writer

After a three game sweep of Towson on the road this past weekend, the VCU baseball team headed to the West End to take on the University of Richmond.

The Rams lost to their arch rival in the first leg of the Farm Bureau Insurance Black and Blue Baseball Classic last Tuesday in an 8-6 loss at The Diamond.

VCU traveled to Pitt Field Wednesday to take on the Spiders trying to avoid a 2010 sweep at the hands of the Spiders after winning 10 straight previously.

The Rams found themselves unable to accomplish this effort, and dropped a ninth-inning thriller to the Spiders 9-8.

Richmond’s Evan Stehle hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Billy Barber, who was on base after being hit by a pitch to lead of the inning.

Once again VCU continued to get a surprising contribution from Paul Nice (Powhatan/Powhatan), who has become a regular in the lineup. The sophomore went four for four in the ballgame and drove in two runs at the plate.

Senior Doug Otto (Wichita, Kan./Johnson County CC) continued his slump-breaking ways and blasted two hits and drove in two out of the three spot in the lineup. Another Ram, Joe Van Meter (Oyster Bay, NY/Arizona State University) continued his torrid pace after hitting .600 over the weekend.

The senior third baseman knocked in another run on one hit.

Freshman Ryan Farrar (Mechanicsville/Atlee) got the mid week start for the Rams, giving up a run in the first inning.

However, the rookie was helped by his teammates, who, despite a slow start, went for three runs in the second and two more in the third.

Farrar surrendered a two-run bomb to Richmond’s Mike Mergenthaler in that third inning, but with a run in the fourth the Rams still held the somewhat comfortable 6-3 lead going into the fifth.

The fifth, however, would prove Farrar’s undoing after the youngster got the first two outs of the inning. However that much needed third out would not come soon enough.

After a Barber double, the Spiders brought him in by way of a single by Cameron Brown. Farrar was pulled for Kyle Pelchy (Yorktown/Grafton), who gave up a big bomb to Chris Cowell.

The Rams would counter, getting two more in the sixth, one coming on a long ball by Michael Cheatham (Chesterfield/Matoaca).

The score held at 8-6 before Pelchy would surrender two more on three hits in the seventh to knot the score at eight.

The back and forth nature would eventually slow as various Richmond hurlers and VCU’s Jonathan Watson (Chester/L.C. Bird) set down hitters.

The teams went to the ninth where VCU just missed a scoring opportunity only to see the Spiders push one across for the victory in the final inning.

VCU drops to 18-15 on the season with the loss and the Rams are now 10-14 in non-conference action.