The University of Richmond baseball team defeated Virginia Commonwealth University, 6-3, on Saturday at The Diamond, marking Coach Mik Aoki’s 600th career victory across 24 seasons coaching five NCAA Division I programs.

Richmond (31-17, 12-14 Atlantic 10) got off to a strong start, with Brady O’Brien contributing two doubles and a two-run home run. The Spiders will look for the series sweep against VCU (14-36, 7-19 A-10) Sunday at 1 p.m. at The Diamond. The game also will stream on ESPN+.

 Coach Aoki
 

O’Brien put Richmond on the board early with a two-run double in the first inning, driving in Aaron Whitley and Jordan Jaffe. O’Brien later added a two-run homer in the third, his team-leading 18th of the season, to give Richmond a 4-2 lead. Whitley stole two bases in the game, bringing his season total to 32. VCU responded with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first off Richmond starter Esteban Rodriguez, but Rodriguez settled in for the win. He allowed three runs on five hits, two walks, and struck out three in seven innings.

Richmond added to its lead with an RBI double from RJ Rickabaugh in the third and a two-out single from DJ Pacheco in the sixth.

VCU scored again in the fifth, but Rodriguez retired seven straight batters before Ryan Bilka came in to close out the game. Bilka, who earned his third save of the season, worked through four hits, a Richmond error, and one hit batter to seal the win.