Spider Sports Recap: Week of April 1

Men’s Tennis

April 6: Loss 2-5 vs. James Madison University

The Spiders battled, but came up short against JMU. Richmond lost the first two doubles matches to give the Dukes the point. Richmond’s Matt Fernandez and George Lovitt won their singles matches, but the Spiders were unable to rally from an early 2-0 deficit. The Spiders' record fell to 12-5 overall.

Men’s Baseball

April 2: Win 3-1 at James Madison University

The Spiders baseball team won its fourth game in a row behind starter Aaron Winkler’s scoreless outing, during which he struck out five batters and held the Dukes to three hits. The Spiders took advantage of defensive miscues and bases-loaded opportunities to score three runs in the top of the fourth inning, with D.J. Lee and Brian Schaub each tallying an RBI. The relief pitchers shut down the Dukes’ offense -- allowing only one run over five innings -- to secure the victory. 

April 3: Win 11-1 at Norfolk State University

First-year pitcher Jacob Marcus was dominant, pitching a complete game and striking out eight batters to propel the Spiders to a comfortable win over the Spartans. Junior Justin Cook led the Richmond offense, going 4-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs. The Spiders hit four home runs against six different Spartan pitchers. 

April 5: Loss 1-2 at the University of Rhode Island

URI snapped the Spiders’ five-game win streak despite a lights-out performance from Spiders redshirt sophomore pitcher Tim Miller, who allowed one run and four hits over eight innings. URI’s Ryan Twitchell also had a strong outing, allowing Richmond’s only run on a sacrifice fly from Schaub. Though the Spiders had a chance to take the lead in the eighth inning with runners on the corners and one out, the Rams clamped down and scored the winning run on a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning. 

April 6: Loss 3-4 at the University of Rhode Island

The Spiders were unable to stop a late comeback from Rhode Island and suffered their second close loss in a row to the Rams. Senior Kyle Schmidt led the Spiders with three hits and two RBIs, and sophomore Kent Morrison threw four scoreless innings as the Spiders took a 3-0 lead. However, closer Layne Looney faltered in the ninth inning, allowing the tying runs to score on back-to-back singles. The Spiders lost in extra innings on a throwing error that allowed the winning run to score.

April 7: Loss 3-6 at the University of Rhode Island

URI took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. The series sweep by the Rams drops the Spiders' record to 3-3 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. Richmond was in front briefly, as the Spiders racked up three runs, including two on a double from sophomore Jordan Schulefand, in the fourth inning. However, the Rams immediately responded, scoring three more runs against Richmond starter Brendan McGuigan, and the URI bullpen stood strong to seal the victory.

Women’s Track and Field

April 4-6: Colonial Relays at the College of William & Mary

Junior Maria Acosta and sophomore Brooke Fazio finished first and second in the women’s 800m run with times of 2:05.17 and 2:06.52, respectively. Their outstanding performances moved them up to #8 and #19 in the NCAA, and set a meet record. Sophomore Rebekah Greene took eighth in the long jump, and first-year Tania Matthews was Richmond’s top finisher in the 100m dash, running 12.53. Junior Haley Berkeley took home a seventh-place finish in the 100m hurdles, and sixth in the championship 400m hurdles. First-year Rachel Helbling finished a close second in the 200m with a time of 24.91, and senior Eryn Mills also finished second in the 3k steeplechase, likely qualifying for the first round of the NCAA championships with her time of 10:26.72. Junior Claire Brown’s second-place finish in the invitational 1500m led the Spiders in the event, and senior Jordan Angers ran 39:26.44 to take fifth in the 10k.

Men’s Golf

April 6-7: Irish Creek Intercollegiate, Kannapolis, North Carolina

Junior Zack Justice shot two rounds of 71 on Saturday and a 2-under-par 69 on Sunday to take 14th, his second top-15 finish in his last three events. His three rounds at or under par make him the second Spider to do so this season. Sophomore Michael Baker performed well on Sunday, also shooting 69 and tallying four birdies. As a team, Richmond finished tied for 13th out of the 16 teams.

Women’s Lacrosse

April 5: Win 14-8 at Virginia Commonwealth University

Seven different Spiders scored as Richmond won its fourth straight game, beating rival VCU handily. The Spiders held the advantage in shots 41-20, and won the draw 16-9. Redshirt sophomore Sam Geiersbach and senior Katie Sciandra each scored a hat trick, and Geiersbach tallied two assists to lead the Spiders with five points. Though VCU responded to several Richmond scoring runs, the Spiders never trailed after taking an early 3-0 lead. 

April 7: Win 14-13 at La Salle University

Late in the game, a poised Spider defense propelled Richmond to a comeback victory over La Salle. The Explorers led 4-0 before the Spider offense came alive, scoring a flurry of goals to knot the score at 7-7 going into the half. Geiersbach’s first-half hat trick and five goals overall (a season-high) led the Spiders, who held the advantage in shots and draw controls for the game. After a back-and-forth first 25 minutes of the second half, the tide seemed to turn in the Explorers’ favor, as they took a two-goal lead with five minutes to play. However, the Spiders refused to give in, scoring three late goals to take the lead, and senior Julie Ball caused a turnover to seal the win.

Men’s Lacrosse

April 6: Win 14-8 at Jacksonville University

The Spiders sit atop the Southern Conference standings after a strong offensive performance from sophomore Ryan Lanchbury, who scored six goals to tie the program’s single-game record, which was set by Teddy Hatfield in 2016. Sophomore Brett Randall and senior Drew Petkevich also tallied multiple goals, and the Spiders took advantage of early momentum to score the first two goals of every period. In a rematch of last year’s Southern Conference championship game, the Spiders improved their record against the Dolphins to 7-0. 

Women’s Tennis

April 6: Loss 4-0 vs. East Carolina University

The Spiders fell just short of the doubles point and went on to lose to ECU. Junior Kiana Marshall and sophomore Emily Dunbar dominated at No. 1 doubles, winning 6-3. After a Richmond loss at No. 2 doubles, junior Lyndell Giffenig and sophomore Adrienne Haynes mounted a comeback but came up short at No. 3 doubles. The Spiders then faltered in singles play, as they were unable to close out matches after early leads. The team's record fell to 7-8 overall, 2-2 in conference. 

Contact sports writer Cassie Coughlan at cassie.coughlan@richmond.edu.