Baseball Preview: George Washington at Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. (Interstat) — The Richmond Spiders host the George Washington Revolutionaries in an Atlantic 10 baseball series opener Friday evening at Malcolm U. Pitt Field. First pitch is scheduled under a forecast of 56 degrees and rain.

Richmond (27-21) enters as the stronger side, carrying a 27-21 overall record. The Spiders took two of three at Davidson last weekend, winning 10-9 and 8-3 before dropping the finale 6-5. Their most recent outing was a 7-5 loss Tuesday at Old Dominion.

George Washington (18-29) comes in off a 5-4 extra-inning victory Tuesday against James Madison, snapping a five-game skid. The Revolutionaries have lost eight of their last 10 overall.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-3 Richmond victory.

Players to Watch

George Washington reliever Jasper Nadel has been effective in recent outings. Over his last four appearances, the right-hander has allowed one earned run in 7⅔ innings, striking out three. He worked two scoreless innings in Tuesday’s win against James Madison, yielding one hit and one strikeout. However, he allowed four earned runs in two innings May 1 at George Mason.

Richmond’s Khris Morris provides two-way depth. The right-hander threw two scoreless innings Tuesday at Old Dominion, allowing no hits with one earned run. Morris also went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs in an April 14 win at James Madison, combining pitching and hitting in a doubleheader.

Series Outlook

The game is the first of a three-game weekend set. The teams meet again Saturday and Sunday at Pitt Field. George Washington then hosts Dayton for three games May 14-16. Richmond travels to Virginia on Tuesday and visits Saint Louis for three games starting Wednesday.

George Washington’s pitching staff relies on a deep bullpen. In Tuesday’s win, three relievers combined for six scoreless innings. Brad Marks and Henry Knighton each threw two shutout frames.

Richmond’s lineup has produced consistently. The Spiders scored 10 or more runs in five games since April 21.