Sports blog on myTimesDispatch.com

UR’s Mayers gains A-10 honor

2012-05-22T19:03:34+00:00

RICHMOND, Va. - Hanover High graduate Jacob Mayers was named the designated hitter on the all-Atlantic 10 Conference baseball team announced on Tuesday.
Mayers, a junior who pitches and plays first base, batted .329 with 9 homers, 14 doubles and 44 RBI. On the mound, Mayers went 6-3 with a 4.43 ERA in 12 starts.
Also named to the first team was Spiders’ senior catcher Chris Cowell, a resident of Devon, Pa., who hit 18 homers and drove in 53 runs while batting .273.
UR had the league’s rookie of the year, 6-foot-7 lefty Zak Sterling, a resident of Salisbury, Md., who went 6-1 with a 2.91 ERA. Batters hit .188 against the freshman. Named to the second team was UR second baseman Adam Forrer, a sophomore from Alexandria. He batted .285 with 4 homers.
The Spiders (27-24, 14-10 in the A-10) are the fifth seed in the six-team league tournament that begins Wednesday in the Bronx, N.Y. Richmond at noon faces No. 4 Massachusetts (22-20, 14-10) at Fordham’s facility.

No. 5 Spiders open A-10 tourney vs. No. 4 UMass

2012-05-20T19:47:35+00:00

RICHMOND, Va. - The University of Richmond baseball team will open Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament competition on Wednesday at noon vs. Massachusetts.
The tourney is being held at Fordham’s Houlihan Park, in the Bronx, N.Y.
The Spiders (27-24, 14-10 in the A-10) are seeded No. 5 in the six-team field, and UMass (22-20, 14-10) is seeded No. 4. The winner of that game on Thursday at noon will face top-seeded Saint Louis (40-16, 17-7). The Billikens and No. 2 Dayton (28-28, 17-7) earned first-round byes and do not play on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s 3:30 p.m. game involves No. 3 Rhode Island (32-23-1, 16-8) and No. 6 Saint Joseph’s (23-30, 13-10).

Squirrels, Senators still scoreless after six innings

2012-05-18T00:03:23+00:00

Richmond and Harrisburg still haven’t been able to scratch against the Eastern League’s top two pitchers.

Squirrels right-hander Chris Heston (0.84 ERA) has allowed three hits.

Senators lefty Danny Rosenbaum (0.71) has yielded three hits. Only three Squirrels have gotten the ball out of the infield.

Squirrels, Senators tied 00 after three at The Diamond

2012-05-17T23:22:22+00:00

With the Eastern League’s top two pitchers in ERA on the mound, Richmond and Harrisburg are tied 0-0 after three innings at The Diamond.

Squirrels right-hander Chris Heston (0.84 ERA) has allowed two hits. He has struck out three.

Senators lefty Danny Rosenbaum (0.71) has yielded three hits. Two did not leave the infield.

Heston got a strikeout with two outs and two runners on in the first inning. Rosenbaum got a groundout with two outs and two on in the third.

Senators beat Squirrels 3-1

2012-05-17T01:31:34+00:00

The ballpark had some bark, but the Richmond Flying Squirrels had no bite Wednesday night at The Diamond.

On Bark in the Park Night before a crowd of 4,281 and plenty of dogs, the Squirrels’ offense continued to be quiet in a 3-1 loss to the Harrisburg Senators.

Richmond managed just four hits off Senators starter Jeff Mandel and two relievers while dropping below .500 (19-20). The Squirrels had three hits in a 4-2 loss Tuesday.

The Senators, who won their fifth consecutive game, got a run in the first inning off Richmond starter Jason Stevenson. Eury Perez led off with a bunt single and stole second. He scored when Jesus Valdez singled and center fielder Gary Brown dropped the ball for an error.

The Squirrels tied the game in the fourth. Daniel Mayora singled and went to third on Chris Dominguez’s high bouncer over the head of first baseman Tim Pahuta. Mayora scored on Johnny Monell’s groundout.

Harrisburg regained the lead in the fifth on Perez’s RBI double. The fleet outfielder tacked on an insurance run in the ninth with an RBI single.

Perez, one of the Washington Nationals prospects, went 4 for 5 with two RBI, two doubles and a stolen base. He has 9 hits in his past 13 at-bats. That had come after a .145 skid in his previous 17 games.

Squirrels manager Dave Machemer had five left-handed or switch-hitters in the lineup. Richmond, though, hit into three double plays and couldn’t mount a major threat after the fourth.

Monell ripped a one-out double in the ninth off reliever Hector Nelo, who hit 97 mph on one of his offerings. But Nelo struck out Ehire Adrianza and got Nick Liles to line out to end the game.

Mandel allowed three hits in 7 2/3 innings. Stevenson yielded seven hits in seven innings. He walked one and had five strikeouts.

Senators ahead of Squirrels 2-1 after six inning

2012-05-17T00:18:47+00:00

Harrisburg leads the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1 after six innings at The Diamond.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, Richmond tied the game in the fourth. Daniel Mayora singled and went to third on Chris Dominguez’s high bouncer over the head of first baseman Tim Pahuta. Mayora scored on Johnny Monell’s groundout.

Harrisburg regained the lead in the fifth on Eury Perez’s RBI double.

Senators lead Squirrels 1-0 after three innings

2012-05-16T23:34:35+00:00

Harrisburg leads the Richmond Flying Squirrels 1-0 after three innings at The Diamond.
The Senators got a run in the first inning off Squirrels starter Jason Stevenson. Eury Perez led off with a bunt single and stole second. He scored when Jesus Valdez singled and center fielder Gary Brown dropped the ball for an error.

Richmond has just one hit off Harrisburg starter Jeff Mandel.

Notes and quotes on VCU’s move to A-10

2012-05-16T00:23:31+00:00

VCU’s travel expenses will increase about $150,000 for all sports, interim athletic director David Benedict said.

VCU President Michael Rao:

“Our ability to recruit and retain outstanding student-athletes will be significantly enhanced. It’s part of a new vision for intercollegiate athletics at Virginia Commonwealth University.

“We want them to enjoy national championship opportunities.”
“Another factor was national visibility and media markets across the nation, where VCU belongs.”

“This is a move that was considered very carefully. The university had conducted an in-depth analysis and looked at this from every angle. The decision to move is absolutely our own, and it’s based on the best interests of VCU.

“As all of you know, conference affiliation has become increasingly important. We know that conferences across the country are in a state of flux and will continue to be in a state of flux in the foreseeable future. The A-10 is one of the premiere conferences and therefore a great opportunity for us at Virginia commonwealth University.”

“Financial considerations in the move to the A-10 are significant. Offsetting those costs are expected benefits to VCU by joining the A-10, including significant increases in revenue sharing.”

“We wanted to be absolutely certain in the move we made that we could continue to compete in league championships. We weren’t certain that could happen based on some of the discussion that was taking place.”

“The CAA has been a great home for VCU for 17 years, so our decision to leave is bittersweet. This is something that’s happening all over the country, and you’ve heard that same phrase being used at other institutions as they’ve made their decisions.

“We have the utmost respect for commissioner Tom Yeager, his leadership team, and most certainly the other institutions in the CAA. We appreciated every opportunity that we have been given by the CAA, and we are pleased that we were major contributors to the CAA over many of these years.

“Today we look forward to the A-10. And that’s exciting.”

Saint Joseph’s coach Martelli talks about UR-VCU rivalry in A-10

2012-05-15T19:47:47+00:00

RICHMOND, Va. - Long-time Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli has played Philadelphia rivals Temple and La Salle in Atlantic 10 Conference gemaes for years. Now, VCU and the University of Richmond will meet in A-10 games. Martelli shares his thoughts on that challenge:
“It’s exhausting. Those games are not single games. They might appear on the schedule, and you might say ‘Well, that’s the next game.’ People can talk around it and say, ‘I treat it like it’s another game.’ Our Temple games, our La Salle games, are like a game-and-a-half.
“And it does impact beyond that single W or L. It impacts public perception. It impacts recruiting. It could impact sponsorship down the line. It’s quite an undertaking. It’s great for college basketball. It’s great for the fan. The challenge, really, is the emotional high, or the emotional low, from winning or losing. And you can’t let it affect your next game.”

UR’s Miller thinks VCU affiliation with A-10 helps both schools

2012-05-15T18:08:45+00:00

RICHMOND, Va. - University of Richmond athletic director Jim Miller believes VCU’s move to the Atlantic 10 Conference enhances the intra-city rivalry, the league, and the future media exposure that will be received by Richmond’s Division I schools.
Together, VCU and UR were Colonial Athletic Association members 1995-2001. Miller welcomes the Rams to the A-10 because he thinks their new affiliation will benefit both schools.
The rivalry
While in different leagues, “whenever VCU is successful, it doesn’t really help Richmond, and whenever Richmond is successful, it doesn’t really help VCU,” Miller said. “I think this upgrades the quality (of the rivalry). It’s two fellow conference members competing now, and I think there’s a real partnership level to the rivalry.”
The league
The A-10 will lose Temple (to the Big East) and Charlotte (to Conference USA) next year as those schools follow FBS football to new leagues. The A-10 adds Butler, which advanced to Final Fours in 2010 and 2011, and VCU, which played in the 2011 Final Four. VCU joins this year, Butler in 2013.
“Our goal when we started out was not to focus on a certain number of teams we had to get to. We just wanted to focus on being the best basketball conference in America that’s not a primary football conference.
“With VCU and Butler, that’s two significant upgrades in our conference. In a lot of ways, the two schools themselves are very hot. They’re nationally known for their recent success.”
Miller characterized VCU’s Shaka Smart, UR’s Chris Mooney, Butler’s Brad Stevens and Xavier’s Chris Mack as “probably four of the hottest coaches in America. Probably every job that’s come open in the last two or three years, those guys are turning down those jobs to stay at their schools. I think it’s a verification of the quality of the conference, and where we’re headed.”
The media
General coverage of Division I basketball in the Richmond area “has been split, with VCU in the CAA and Richmond in the A-10,” Miller said. “I think both being in the same conference, there will be a real synergy in the media market, much like what happened (in 2011), when both teams went to the NCAA tournament.
“Richmond went to the Sweet 16, and VCU went to the Final Four. The media focus locally, regionally and nationally really enhanced the City of Richmond.”