Cold, Wet Start Awaits A-10 Foes Richmond and Saint Joseph’s

RICHMOND, Va. (Interstat) — A chilly, wet evening is forecast for the Atlantic 10 Conference baseball opener between Saint Joseph’s and Richmond on Friday at Malcolm U. Pitt Field.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. under conditions far from ideal, with a game-time temperature near 39 degrees and rain expected.

The Spiders (10-7) enter with the stronger overall record and will look to continue their momentum after a 19-1 rout of Coppin State on Tuesday. Key to their offense is second baseman Michael Elko, who went 3 for 3 with two RBIs in that win. Elko has shown power recently, hitting home runs in games on Feb. 27 and Feb. 28.

The visiting Hawks (5-8) aim to build on a 13-3 victory over Bucknell last Sunday. Their player to watch is pitcher Luke Parise, who delivered a standout performance in that win, allowing two earned runs on two hits with seven strikeouts over seven innings. However, Parise’s season has been uneven, including a difficult outing Feb. 22 at Sacramento State where he surrendered eight earned runs without recording a hit in just 1 2/3 innings.

Saint Joseph’s has struggled on the road this season, with a recent series loss at Wofford preceding the split with Bucknell.

Richmond’s recent form includes a series loss to Binghamton last weekend, though they took the middle game 8-1.

Statistical models favor the Spiders. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-3 Richmond victory, and its ELO rating system gives the Spiders a 58.1% probability to win.

The teams will meet again at Pitt Field on Saturday and Sunday to complete the three-game conference series.