May 31, 2003
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Adam Tidball and Ben Zeskind each drove in two runs and Jason Bolinski threw a six-hitter as Richmond defeated UC Riverside 8-1 on Saturday night to advance to Sunday's championship round of the Stanford Regional.
Bryan Pritz, Vito Chiaravalloti and Bobby LeNoir each had three hits as the Spiders (48-14) avenged Friday's opening round loss to Riverside (41-17) and will meet Stanford for the regional title.
Tony Festa had two hits for the Highlanders, who in their second year in Division I, were playing in their first ever regional. Riverside lost to Stanford 13-6 earlier in the day.
Richmond, who won for the sixth time in seven games, advanced to their second consecutive regional final. The Spiders won the Winston-Salem Regional last year, but lost a best-of-three Super Regional to Nebraska.
Bolinski (10-1) gave up a lead-off double to Brian Wahlbrink but not much else in recording his sixth complete game of the year. He struck out five and walked two.
Riverside starter Julio Fernandez (5-4) allowed a season-high seven runs on a season-high 11 hits in 5 1-3 innings. He struck out four and walked one.
Richmond scored four runs in the first inning, two on Tidball's double. David Reaver also drove in a run, and Pritz scored on a wild pitch.
Tony Festa drove in Riverside's run in the first on a groundout.
Zeskind's groundout in the fourth scored one run, and he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth. Chiaravalloti also drove in a run.