Baseball VMIKeydets.com

VMI Falls 5-2 at Vanderbilt in Second Game of Weekend Series

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? VMI and #18 Vanderbilt played to a scoreless tie through six innings before the host Commodores erupted for five runs on four hits in the bottom of the seventh to take control on its way to handing the Keydets a 5-2 loss in game two of a three-game weekend series on Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Field.

Junior right-handers J.J. Hollenbeck (Vienna, Va./James Madison) of VMI and Jensen Lewis (Cincinnati, OH/Anderson) of Vanderbilt were locked in a pitchers duel in which no hits were allowed until the bottom of the fifth. Hollenbeck, who took the loss to fall to 0-1, retired the first 13 batters that he faced before allowing a one-out single in the bottom of the fifth. Hollenbeck worked six-plus innings during which he allowed five runs ? all earned ? on five hits, walked just one, and struck out five. VMI fell to 1-7 with the loss while the Commodores improved to 2-0.

“Lewis and Hollenbeck were in a pitcher's dual until the bottom of the seventh,” Keydet head coach Marlin Ikenberry said. “J.J. threw extremely well today. It is great to see him go deep into the game,” Ikenberry added. “If we pitch and play defense like today it will give us an opportunity to have a lot of success.”

Vanderbilt got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh when junior shortstop Warner Jones (Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell Academy) knocked a two-run homer over the left field fence, bringing senior Antoan Richardson (Nassau, Bahamas, INT/Palm Beach JC) home, who had led off the inning with a double. Hollenbeck then hit the next batter with a pitch, before junior catcher David Hernandez (Wellington, Fla./Duke University) doubled down the left field line. Senior third baseman Alex Mansolino (Clovis, Calif./Buchanan) followed with a single, scoring junior first baseman Mike Baxter (White Stone, NY/Columbia University) who had reached on the hit by pitch. That gave Vanderbilt a 3-0 lead with no outs at which time Hollenbeck was relieved by senior right-hander Jeff DeMara (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge). The Commodores would score two more runs in the frame after DeMara came on to go up 5-0 after seven.

VMI remained resilient, scoring one run apiece in the eighth and ninth innings. Freshman second baseman Shane Geisslinger (Midlothian, Va./Clover Hill), who made his first collegiate start in the game, hit a two-out single in the eighth and advanced to second when junior center fielder B.T. Good (Vienna Va./James Madison) drew a walk. Senior shortstop Matt Smith (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) singled to score Geisslinger, putting VMI on the board.

Vanderbilt stranded one runner in the bottom of the eighth, leaving VMI with its last at bat in the top of the ninth. The Keydets added their final run when senior left fielder Elliott Erbe (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) scored on a two-out fielders choice by freshman catcher Stephen Parsons (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory).

Vanderbilt totaled six hits on the day, led by Richardson and Hernandez with two each. Lewis picked up the win after tossing a one-hitter with nine strikeouts in seven full innings of work.

Smith went 2-for-3 and had one RBI to lead the offense for VMI.

The two teams play on Sunday in the third and final game of the series scheduled for 1 pm CST at Hawkins Field.
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