RICHMOND, Va. (Interstat) — In a dramatic reversal of his previous outing, Saint Joseph’s starter Cole Fehrman delivered a dominant performance, striking out 10 over 4 2/3 innings of no-hit ball to propel the Hawks to a 4-3 victory over the Richmond Spiders in Atlantic 10 Conference baseball action Saturday evening at Malcolm U. Pitt Field.

The win, secured before an announced crowd, improved Saint Joseph’s to 7-8 overall and evened the weekend series at one game apiece. Richmond fell to 10-9.

The most critical sequence of the game occurred in the top of the ninth inning. Holding a precarious 4-3 lead, the Hawks loaded the bases with no outs against Richmond reliever Justin Gay. After a strikeout and a walk, Nate Beggy delivered a clutch two-run single to left field, scoring Conor Applegate and Ryan Peterson. Those runs proved decisive, providing crucial insurance after the Spiders had mounted a late rally.

Fehrman, who was tagged for eight earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings in a loss at Bucknell on March 7, was untouchable early. He carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning, with the only blemish a solo home run by Richmond designated hitter Evan Wilson in the first. Fehrman’s final line included one earned run, three walks, and the 10 strikeouts before exiting with two outs in the fifth after loading the bases. Reliever Sam Greer stranded all three runners to preserve a 4-1 lead.

Saint Joseph’s built its early advantage by capitalizing on a Richmond error in the first inning. After Peterson reached on a misplay by second baseman Jake Elko, Alex Kelsey drove him in with an RBI double. Ryan Primrose followed with a single to score Kelsey, staking the Hawks to a 4-0 lead before Richmond recorded an out. All runs were unearned against Spiders starter Jackson Hinchliffe, who otherwise pitched effectively, allowing five hits and no earned runs over 4 2/3 innings.

The Spiders chipped away in the eighth inning against Greer. Elko singled, stole second, and scored along with Jordan Kennedy on a pinch-hit, two-run single by Christian Scanlon, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Saint Joseph’s reliever Andrew Gaines entered and escaped further damage, then worked a scoreless ninth for the save, navigating around a single and a hit batsman before striking out Phil Recio to end the game.

Both teams finished with eight hits. Beggy’s two RBIs led the Hawks, while Wilson’s homer and Scanlon’s two-run single accounted for the Richmond offense. The Spiders used seven pitchers, with Bijan Anvar striking out all three batters he faced in the sixth.

The victory defied pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 6-3 Richmond win and gave the Spiders a 57.3% probability of victory.

The teams conclude the three-game series Sunday afternoon.