RICHMOND,Va. -- Juniors Matt Prendergast and Brian Marshall teamed up on a five-hit shutout as
Virginia Commonwealth edged in-state rival Virginia Military Institute 1-0 in baseball Tuesday night at The Diamond.
The Rams improved to 30-10 overall and earned their fourth consecutive win, while the visiting Keydets dropped to 14-22 on the year.
Prendergast allowed just five hits and fanned six VMI hitters over the first seven innings to move to 4-0 on the season. Marshall then posted his ninth save after retiring six of the seven Keydets he faced, three on strikeouts, over the final two frames.
The loss also overshadowed an outstanding pitching performance on the other side from VMI sophomore Jimmy Thoms (Newport News, Va. / Denbigh), who held VCU to just two hits and
racked up eight strikeouts in a complete-game effort.
Thoms (3-3) took a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh inning with the score tied 0-0 when junior third baseman Anthony Granato slashed a single through the left side of the infield.
Granato then moved to second on a sacrifice from pinch-hitter Roel Koolen and scored the game1s
only run on a pair of wild pitches from Thoms.
VMI left seven men on base over the first three innings and stranded 11 total for the game. The Keydets had their best scoring opportunity in the top of the second, when consecutive singles by sophomore first baseman Jon
Wade (Marietta, Ga. / Harrison) and senior second baseman Jason Annis (Placentia, Calif. / Valencia) followed by a Rams1 error on a grounder off the bat of sophomore shortstop Matt Smith (Chesapeake, Va. / Great Bridge) loaded the bases with one out. Prendergast then beared down and got out of the jam by setting down freshmen Brandon Massenburg (Prince George, Va. / Prince George) and Kelly Sweppenhiser (Herndon, Pa. / Line Mountain) on strikeouts.
VCU will next be in action on Friday when the Rams visit Delaware to open a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series. Game time is 3 p.m. The Keydets will host a three-game series with Wofford this weekend, starting with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon.
Courtesy of the VCU Sports Information Department.
