Rider's Season Ends with 8-2 loss to Virginia
MAAC Sports
Fullerton, Calif. ? Rider University’s baseball season came to a close with an 8-2 loss to the University of Virginia Saturday in an elimination game at the Fullerton Regional of the 2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship at Goodwin Field.
Andrew Carraway (4-3) pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in his career. He went seven innings, allowing two earned runs, six hits and one walk while striking out 10. Carraway tied career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts. Michael Schwimer tossed the final two innings to earn his 14th save.
Rider starting pitcher Jimmer Kennedy pitched 5.2 innings and gave up four earned runs, 10 hits, four walks and three strikeouts. He took the loss and fell to 7-5 this season.
Virginia took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a Jeremy Farrell sacrifice fly to score Greg Miclat. But Rider center fielder Jon Leise made a sensational diving catch to end the inning with two runners on base.
The Cavaliers pushed their lead to four in the fourth inning. After Franco Valdes led off with a single and John Barr doubled, Tyler Cannon grounded out to score Valdes from third. Miclat followed with a single to plate Barr, and David Coleman doubled to bring Miclat around from first and give Virginia a 4-0 lead.
Rider (29-28) cut the lead in half with two seventh-inning runs. Mason Heyne hit a double to score Steve Galella, and Mo Williams followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Sean Olson. Carraway escaped further damage by striking out David Hayes and getting John Ralston to ground out with a runner on third base to end the inning.
Virginia took advantage of three Rider errors in the eighth inning to score four times, with the big blow ? a two-run single ? coming from Barr with two out.