Spider Sports Recap | Week of Feb. 21

Baseball

Feb. 22: Win 14-11 against W&M

In its season opener, the University of Richmond baseball team defeated the College of William and Mary 14-11. At the top of the 10th inning, the game was tied 11-11. First-year infielder Jake Elbeery knocked a walk-off home run and drove himself and two runners in to secure the win.

Feb. 25: Win 4-3 against St. Thomas

The Spiders defeated Saint Thomas University at UR’s Pitt Field with sophomore utility Jason Neff hitting a walk-off homer to gain the run and win the game 4-3. Sophomore pitcher and utility Alden Mathes also hit his first home run of the season. Sophomore pitcher Josh Willitts secured the final out in the fifth inning and scored a career-high nine strikeouts. 

Feb. 26: Win 23-2 against Sacred Heart University

The Spiders walked away with a fifth-straight win this season and 23 runs on 22 hits. The last time UR played a game like that was in 2015 when UR won against Yale University 30-2. In the fifth inning, UR sent 13 batters to the plate and tallied seven runs from three hits alongside three walks. The Spiders added their last two runs in the eighth inning to bring the final score to 23-2. 

Feb. 27: Another win 9-3 against Sacred Heart

UR defeated Sacred Heart two days in a row. The Spiders added their first tallies in the third inning with first-year infielder D.J. Pacheco hitting a single and graduate outfielder Chrisitan Beal hitting a double, which drove Pacheo to third. Senior infielder Dominic Toso then hit a double to bring Beal in to tie the game. First-year pitcher Rob Ready cleaned up Sacred Heart in the ninth with a strikeout and a total of eight pitches. 

Men’s basketball 

Feb. 22: Win 84-71 against GWU

The UR men’s basketball team traveled to Washington, D.C., to battle George Washington University. Graduate forward Nathan Cayo scored a season-high 19 points, junior forward Tyler Burton added 17 points and graduate forward Grant Golden and graduate guard Jacob Gilyard followed behind with 15 points each. Combined, they scored a total of 66 points, roughly 80% of the total Spiders points. 

Feb. 25: Win 68-66 against St. Louis

The Spiders celebrated their senior night for men’s basketball with a 68-66 win against Saint Louis University. However, St. Louis held UR 43-33 upon halftime, but the Spiders came back out and added 35 tallies to the board to take the win. Burton led the team with 23 points and 10 rebounds, Gilyard added 15 points and graduate guard Nick Sherod added 13. The win marked UR’s fourth straight home win. 

Women’s basketball

Feb. 23: Win 79-69 against Fordham

The Spiders defeated Fordham University 79-69 at the Robins Center in the last home game for UR. Sophomore guard Grace Townsend led the Spiders with a career-high 25 points. Sophomore forward Addie Budnik followed with 18 points and a career-high four steals. Senior guard Kate Klimkiewicz added another 15 points and seven rebounds. The Rams shot a mere 34% success rate in field goals, but the Spiders towered over with a 51% rate. 

Feb. 26: Win 59-57 against VCU

UR defeated the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams at their home court at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. Senior forward Emma Squires led the Spiders with 21 points and six rebounds. Budnik followed up with 12 points and nine rebounds. First-year guard Sydney Boone was the last Spider with double-digit points with 10. UR shot 38.9% in field goals, but the Rams sank lower at 33.8%. The Rams led against UR for most of the game until the final quarter, when UR added 24 tallies to take the 2-point lead and victory. 

Women’s lacrosse

Feb. 25: Win 11-10 against Stanford

Women’s lacrosse defeated Stanford University for the Spiders’ fourth straight win this season. Graduate attacker Nicole Concannon led the Spiders with four goals, while graduate goalie Delaney Galvin tallied 13 saves. In the final 70 seconds of the game, Stanford added two goals to bring their score to 10, but the Spiders held the lead as the horn sounded, winning by one point. 

Men’s tennis

Feb. 25: Win at Delaware 4-3, Loss to Furman 4-0. 

UR secured a win against the University of Delaware to bring its season record to 4-4. Seniors John Walsh and Campbell Erwin defeated Delaware 6-2 in their doubles match. Senior Alex Wernick and sophomore Sebastian Miano also won their doubles match 6-4. Walsh, Erwin and senior Josh Keitelman all won their singles matches against Delaware. Against Furman University, Walsh and Erin won their doubles match, unfinished 4-3. Walsh, Erin and sophomore Sebastian Miano won their singles matches, also unfinished. 

Men’s golf

Feb. 25: Win 275-287 against Columbia

UR took home the win against Columbia University, shooting 13 under with a score of 275 while Columbia shot one-under at 287. Junior Lou Baker led UR shooting 67 and five under par. On holes 13-17, Baker added five straight birdies to his record. Junior Ben Cooper followed behind Baker shooting 68 and four under par. Sophomore Garrett Clark followed Baker and Cooper shooting 69 and three under par. 

Men’s lacrosse

Feb. 26: Win 16-15 against Towson

The men’s lacrosse team walked away from triple overtime with a win against Towson University. In the first quarter, UR was faced with an eight-point deficit, but by the fourth quarter, UR tied the game. Sophomore midfielder Lance Madonna scored a career-high six goals and graduate midfielder Luke Frankeny added a season-best four goals. Sophomore goalie Devin Craven walked away with a career-high 21 saves, a second all-time record in program history.  

Contact sports co-editor Andrew Cardounel at andrew.cardounel@richmond.edu.