Richmond put a late-game rally together in the nightcap, but visiting Marist held off the charge and beat the Spiders 8-5 Saturday at Pitt Field. The Red Foxes won Saturday’s first game 12-3 and swept the three-game series.
Junior Alex Maffett fired the final five innings in relief in Saturday’s second game, allowing just two hits and an unearned run, while the offense finally got going. Maffett fanned three as his ERA dipped to be a team-leading 2.03.
After being held to just three runs on six hits in Saturday’s first game, the Spiders were blanked over the first six innings of the finale. Marist starter Sean McKeown hurled five innings of one-hit ball and turned the 7-0 lead over to his bullpen.
Richmond (3-8-1) pounded out five hits in the seventh inning, scoring three times thanks to RBI knocks from Phil Ruzbarsky, Bret Williams and JB Gadd. In the eighth, the Spiders tacked on two more with an RBI single from Bryan Conway and a run-scoring double from Ruzbarsky.
The Red Foxes (6-3) got an insurance run in the ninth and closer Eric Alessio shut the door for his second save.
Marist starter Chad Gallagher put the visitors in the line for the sweep, going eight innings and being bolstered by his team’s 12-run, 17-hit attack. Gallagher scattered five hits and two runs to get Saturday’s first-game win.
Derek Boliek and Matt Zink drove in runs in the fourth inning, which pulled the Spiders within 3-2. But Marist struck for seven runs over the next two innings and never looked back. Zach Shank was four-for-five in the first game with two RBI.
Richmond starters Anthony Cafagna and Andrew Brockett were tagged Saturday’s decisions.
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