RADFORD, Va. - VMI used a two-run homer by Elliott Erbe (Portsmouth, Va. / Western Branch) in the second and a three run shot in the forth by Brandon Massenburg (Prince George, Va. / Prince George) en route to a 11-6 non-conference baseball victory Wednesday afternoon at Dedmon Center Park.
VMI plated 11 runs on 12 hits led by Massenburg and Erbe's three RBI each, as Allan Wimmer (Vienna, Va. / James Madison) and Jon Wade (Marietta, Ga. / Harrison) each collected a pair of hits in push VMI to 10-16 on the season. Cory Koliscak (0-4) suffered the loss for the Highlanders, who dropped to 5-14 on the season, allowing 10 runs, all earned on nine hits in 4.1 innings. Ryan Wetzel and Nat Hodges each had two hits, as Alan Ashworth added a two-run homer in a losing effort.
Erbe's two-run home run in the second gave VMI a 2-0 lead. The Keydets added a single run in the third, as Kelly Sweppenhieser (Herndon, Va. / Line Mountain) doubled to left diving home matt smith from first after he led off the inning with a single.
Nat Hodges singled to lead off the bottom of the third and moved to third on Steve Mignogna's double down the right field line. Hodges would score on a John Vellines groundout cutting the VMI lead to 3-1.
The Keydets would once again plate runs in their next at-bat. Massenburg drove in all three VMI runs with his blast to right pushing the lead to 6-1. A Mark Fleisher sacrifice fly, a Wetzel RBI single to center and a perfectly executed safety squeeze by Shaun House pulled RU within 6-3 in the fourth.
But VMI would plate four runs in the fifth, keyed by Wade and Andy Barden (Chesterfield, Va. / Manchester) doubles to push VMI advantage to 10-3. Ashworth's blast to right cut into VMI advantage in the fifth, 10-5, but that was as close as RU could get as VMI plated a single run in the sixth and RU added one in the eighth.
"It was a great team win," stated VMI head coach Tom Slater. "We pitched well, swung the bats well and played great defense in the field. It was a nice win."
The Keydets will next play on Friday when they host UNC Greensboro. The opening pitch is set for 2 p.m.
Courtesy of the Radford Sports Information Department.
