RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond's bats were nearly unstoppable as the host Spiders scored a three-game series sweep over the St. Bonaventure baseball team to begin the Atlantic 10 schedule Friday and Saturday in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
GAME 1: Richmond 12, St. Bonaventure 0
The Spiders pounced early and never looked back in the opener Friday afternoon.
After a run in each of the first three innings, Richmond broke the game open with four in the fourth and never looked back.
St. Bonaventure mustered just five hits – two being doubles with one each from Jayce Tharnish and Mike Gunning.
Esteban Rodriguez started and worked 4.1 scoreless before Ryan Bilka tossed the final 4.2 innings, allowing just one hit without a walk and four strikeouts to move to 4-0 this season on the hill.
GAME 2: Richmond 21, St. Bonaventure 7
Richmond grabbed a run in the first on Saturday morning, but the Bonnies led after scoring twice in the second.
Three hit batters set the table along with a single from Chris Hoalcraft and Paul Vossen also worked a bases loaded walk to take a 2-1 edge.
The Spiders scored early and often, however, quickly pulling ahead again with three in the second, two in the third and three more in the fourth before effectively putting the game on ice with a five-run sixth.
Robert Mannino drove in three runs with Conner Vercollone bringing in two for the visitors. Kaufman was also credited with an RBI.
Aaron Whitley collected four hits and six RBIs out of the leadoff spot to power the Spiders.
GAME 3: Richmond 18, St. Bonaventure 11
Richmond rallied back to take a wild finale to complete the series sweep.
St. Bonaventure showed no ill effects from the first two games of the series early on as they exploded for six runs in the first inning of Saturday's finale.
David Marshall Jr. started the uprising with a one-out single before a hit batter and fielding error allowed Marshall to score. A wild pitch and a walk continued the inning before freshman Brian Carrothers picked up his first collegiate RBI on a single to left with another error letting another run to come home.
The big blow came off the bat of Alex Hebenstreit as he delivered his first Division I home run with a no-doubter to the trees beyond the left field fence for a two-run bomb and a 6-0 lead.
Richmond would start chipping away quickly.
Two runs crossed in the second and the Spiders got within two on a two-run third. The hosts threatened for more before Chance Moore coaxed a double play ball to end the inning.
Marshall created some breathing room in the fourth.
Following a single and stolen base by Gavin Constantine, Marshall drilled his third home run of the season out to right for an 8-4 score.
Whitley cracked his third home run of the doubleheader to begin the home half of the fourth, however, to get one of those runs back immediately.
Richmond (18-2) completed the comeback in the sixth when Whitley doubled home two runs followed by a run-scoring two-base hit from Jordan Jaffe and back-to-back homers off the bats of Jack Arcamone and Brady O'Brien.
Three more in the sixth gave the Spiders a 14-8 cushion before Conner Vercollone smacked his third home run of the season to left center to pull within 14-10 during the visitor's seventh but it would not be enough.
Marshall went 5-for-5 in the game to highlight the offense. His five hits in Game 2 tie for third in Bonnies single-game history, one off the record of six set by both Bubba Hollins in 2017 and Randy Moley in 2008. His five knocks are the most in a game by a Bonnies batter since Danny Manion and Jack Putney both achieved the feat in 2023.
The Bonnies have midweek action Tuesday night at Penn State. First pitch is slated for 5:30 p.m. in State College.
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