RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond junior outfielder D.J. Pacheco drove in six runs to guide the host Spiders to an 8-4 victory over the Cornell baseball team at a hazy Pitt Field on Friday afternoon.
Pacheco went 2-for-5 with a second-inning grand slam and a two-run single in the eighth. Aidan O'Keefe (2-for-4) and Jack Arcamone (2-for-3) also had multi-hit days for Richmond (8-9).
Senior catcher
Nathan Waugh drove in three runs in the setback for Cornell (1-8). Waugh, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, was one of two Big Red batters with a multi-hit day, joined by junior first baseman
Max Jensen (2-for-4).
Kyle Roche earned the victory for Richmond after yielding three runs (one earned) on seven hits over his 5.1 innings toeing the rubber. He struck out four Cornell batters and issued his first walk of the season after without issuing a free pass over his first 25.2 innings. Cole Hentschel registered his second save of the year after pitching the final 2.1 innings of work.
Junior left-handed pitcher
William Jaun was saddled with the loss for his three consecutive outing. Jaun allowed five runs on five hits over 3.1 innings of work despite registering a season-high five strikeouts.
The Spiders plated the first five runs of the game across the opening two innings. A wild pitch by Jaun enabled Phil Bernstein to scored from second base. Pacheco cleared the bases with a grand slam hit into the trees in center field to put the Spiders ahead, 5-0.
Following a leadoff single by junior left fielder
Ryan Porter in the third, junior center fielder
Jakobi Davis hit an RBI double off the center field wall that missed a home run by mere inches. The extra-base hit for Davis upped his reached base streak to 12 games.
Cornell's deficit was further trimmed in the third when senior catcher
Nathan Waugh deposited a two-out, two-run opposite field home run over the wall in right field. Waugh's round-tripper -- his second of the year -- extended both his hit and on-base streaks to 13 games.
The next run wouldn't come until the seventh inning when Waugh collected his third RBI of the day with a blistering single into center field to score junior first baseman
Max Jensen, who hit a one-out double to the right-center field gap.
Keller held Richmond batters at-bay, allowing just three of the 12 batters he faced to reach base — two of which were walks drawn by Bernstein in the fourth and seventh innings. During his three innings of relief, Keller allowed just one hit and also fanned five Spider batters.
Richmond made a Cornell ninth-inning comeback attempt more difficult as the Spiders plated three runs in the home-half of the eighth. A muffed catch on a sacrifice bunt attempt allowed Richmond to plate its first run of the inning before Pacheco tacked on two more runs with a hard-hit single right at senior second baseman
Matt Barnhorst.
Cornell loaded the bases in the ninth as a one-out walk drawn by Waugh setup Wildman, who legged out an infield single that was chopped toward the left side of the infield. A two-out walk by Barnhorst brought the game-tying run at the plate in sophomore shortstop
TJ Swidorski, but Hentschel slammed the door shut on the Big Red's thoughts of a comeback by powering a fastball past Swidorski for his fourth strikeout of the game.
GAME NOTES
• Friday was the ninth all-time meeting between Cornell and Richmond since the inaugural meeting between the programs on April 5, 1938, as the Big Red now own a 2-7 record against the Spiders.
• Waugh's 13-game hit streak is the longest by a Big Red player since Tommy Wagner collected base knocks in 13 straight games from April 5-23, 2017, where the former infielder posted a .490 batting average (24-of-49).
• Jaun and Keller both registered five strikeouts on the day, marking the most by any Cornell hurler this season. Jaun set a single-game high for punchouts while Keller posted his highest strikeout total since also setting aside five batters against Penn last season on April 29.
• With Jaun and Keller posting five strikeouts apiece, Cornell has registered 10-plus strikeouts in each of its last two games, marking the first time it has posted consecutive 10-strikeout performances since fanning 12 and 14 batters in both ends of a doubleheader against Niagara in Colonial Heights, Va., on Feb. 29, 2020.
UP NEXT
Cornell and Richmond will continue its three-game series from Pitt Field on Saturday. Right-hander
Carson Mayfield (0-2, 13.03 ERA) is slated to take the ball for the Big Red and will be countered by left-hander Brian Reinke (0-2, 3.60 ERA). The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with only a high-home angle available and Blaine McCormick on the call.
