Spider Sports Recap | Week of April 10

Editor’s note: Claire Le Du is a writer for the Collegian.

Baseball 

April 11: Loss 18-0 vs. the University of Virginia 

After a series win against The George Washington University, the baseball team was shut out by the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, VA. The Spiders only tallied four hits throughout the seven innings before the mercy rule went into effect. UVA held a four-run lead through the first four innings and opened the game up in inning five and six, scoring eight and seven runs, respectively. Six pitchers took the mound for the Spiders, but sophomore left-handed pitcher Brian Reinke took the loss. 

April 14: Win 6-2 vs. the University of Massachusetts 

The Spiders bounced back with a win away against the Minutemen. This was the team’s fourth Atlantic 10 victory of the season. UMass scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning, but UR’s 13 hits and six runs proved too much for the Minutemen. Sophomore third baseman Jordan Jaffe led the way as he went 3 for 5 from the plate, racked up three RBIs and hit a home run. Junior second baseman Jared Sprague-Lott also went 3 for 5 from the plate. Graduate right-handed pitcher Brock Weirather pitched seven innings and threw three strikeouts. Weirather picked up his third win of the season on the mound. 

April 15: Loss 9-5 vs. UMass

After a win in game one of the series, the Spiders were unable to remain victorious in game two. The Spiders started off strong with three runs in the second inning to begin scoring, but the Minutemen’s offense soon picked up and UR went scoreless for the last five innings of the game. Jaffe and Sprague-Lott each hit a home run and graduate right-fielder Christian Beal had three RBIs. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Esteban Rodriguez pitched 4.2 innings and earned seven runs on the mound, giving him his first loss of the season. 

April 16: Win 15-7 vs. UMass

After a game two loss, the Spiders notched a win in game three to capture the series victory. Through one inning, the Spiders had a slight edge, leading 4-3. But UR scored two runs in the next two innings to jump ahead 8-3. Ultimately, UR won the game 15-7 after a 15-hit effort offensively. Redshirt junior centerfielder Alden Mathes and Jaffe, who ended the series with a home run in each of the three games, hit one as well. This was Jaffe’s sixth home run of the season and his efforts throughout the week garnered him A-10 co-Rookie of the Week honors. Redshirt senior left fielder Johnny Hipsman and junior designated hitter Chase Conklin each had four hits in the game. Redshirt junior left-handed pitcher Jeremy Neff picked up his first win on the mound of the season. The Spiders’ record sits at 16-20 with 18 regular season games left. UR’s next game is away at Towson University at 3 p.m. April 19. 

Track & Field

April 12-15: Larry Ellis Invitational 

The track & field squad traveled to Princeton, New Jersey to compete in the four-day Larry Ellis Invitational Event. Sophomore Virginia Beringer and first-year Elke Van der Westhuizen placed in the top 10 in the women’s 400m event, finishing in seventh and 10th place, respectively. Graduate student Kyra Keurentjes’ 2:07.58 time in the women’s 800m was just short of a top 10 finish as she finished in 11th place for the event. In the women’s 1500m event, senior Kayla O’Connell took home sixth place with a 4:31.33 time. In the women’s 5k event, sophomore Laurel Kurtz’s 17:50.16 time gave her a 10th place finish. On the men’s side, cross country runner junior Jordan Bendura finished in second place in the 5000 unseeded meter run event. The squad’s next event will be the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, VA from April 21 to April 22. 

Men’s Tennis:

April 14: Win 4-1 vs. Davidson College

After an April 5 loss to the College of William & Mary, the men’s tennis team bounced back with a victory over the Wildcats at home 4-1. In doubles play, graduate student William Karpinski and junior Daniel Kleibhan defeated their opponents and juniors Alaister Burke and Sebastian Miano also defeated their opponents. As for singles play, Karpinski, graduate student Alex Wernink and first-year Mark Taranov won their matches.  

April 16: Win 4-0 vs. Dayton University 

The Spiders won their second straight match and kept their undefeated home streak alive with a victory over the Flyers. In singles play, graduate student John Walsh, Miano and Taranov each won their respective matches while the other three singles matches went unfinished. In doubles play, Walsh and Wernink defeated their opponents 7-6, and Kleibhan and Karpinski defeated their opponents 6-2. UR’s record sits at 13-7. With one match in the regular season remaining, the Spiders will compete at home against the University of Delaware at 12 p.m. April 19. 

Women’s Tennis:

April 15: Win 5-1 vs. Davidson 

The women’s tennis team picked up its second A-10 win of the season at home against the Wildcats. The Spiders won two of their doubles matches as senior Marta Buendia and redshirt sophomore Claire Le Du won 6-3 and juniors Polina Shitikova and Andrea Campodonico won 6-1. In singles play, Campodonico and Shitikova won their respective matches and juniors Leonor Oliveira and Carly Cohen were also victorious in their respective matches.   

April 16: Win 4-1 vs. the College of William & Mary 

The Spiders won their third straight match with a 4-1 win over the Tribe. Coming into the match, the women’s tennis team had never defeated William & Mary in the program’s history. But, this time around, during the teams’ sixteenth meeting, UR emerged victorious. In doubles play, first-years Elizabeth Novak and Lara Bakhaya won their match 6-4, and Le Du and Buendia also won their match 6-4. In singles play, Cohen, Le Du, and Shitikova each won their respective matches. With one match in the season remaining, the women’s tennis team’s record sits at 7-14 with a 2-2 conference record. UR’s next match is at home at 1 p.m. April 21. 

Women’s Lacrosse:

April 15: Win 17-5 vs. George Washington

The women’s lacrosse team picked up its sixth conference win of the season away against the Colonials. Through the first 15 minutes, the Spiders led 4-2, and after one half, the Spiders began to pull ahead, 11-3. In quarter three, the team held George Washington scoreless, and while the Colonials did outscore the Spiders 2-1 in quarter four, UR emerged victorious by 12 goals. Sophomore attacker Colleen Quinn led the way with five goals. Quinn has scored 41 goals this season. Senior attacker Arden Tierney also chipped in three goals on the day. Senior goalie Emily Bloyer played the first three quarters and had seven saves. With two regular season games remaining, UR’s record sits at 12-3. The team’s next game is away against Davidson at 1 p.m. April 22. 

Men’s Lacrosse:

April 15: Win 13-9 vs. High Point University 

After a win against A-10 opponent UMass, the men’s lacrosse team defeated HPU at home 13-9. The first half proved evenly matched as UR only led by one goal at halftime. However, the Spiders turned on the jets in quarter three, outscoring HPU 6-2, and finished the game on top by four goals. Junior attacker Luke Grayum and junior midfielder Lance Madonna, sophomore attacker Lukas Olsson and first-year midfielder Joe Sheridan each scored two goals apiece to lead the way offensively. Sheridan’s performance earned him A-10 Rookie of the Week honors for the second straight week. On the day, nine Spiders scored for UR. Redshirt sophomore goalie Zach Vigue played all but the last 37 seconds of regulation and recorded 15 saves. UR’s record sits at 7-4 with two games to go in the regular season. The team’s next game is away against Hobart College at 12 p.m. April 22. 

Contact sports editor Jimmy James at jimmy.james@richmond.edu.