Baseball VMIKeydets.com

Baseball Takes Down Spiders 17-7

RICHMOND, Va.- An eight-run sixth inning propelled the VMI baseball team to 17-7 victory over in-state rival Richmond Wednesday afternoon in non-conference action at Pitt Field in Richmond.

There was no shortage of offensive stars on the day for VMI (2-7), as five Keydets rung up multiple hits and five Keydets had multiple RBIs on the day. Sophomore outfielder Thane Smith (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs while senior Matt Smith (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) collected three hits as well in his six at bats.

Freshman catcher Stephen Parsons (Chespeake, Va./Hickory) went 2-for-5 with three RBIs, while freshman second baseman Shane Geisslinger (Midlothian, Va./Clover Hill) finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs also. Junior outfielder B.T. Good (Vienna, Va./James Madison) drove in three runs on the day, while junior third baseman Kelly Sweppenhiser (Herndon, Pa./Line Mountain) hit his second home run of the season, a solo blast in the eighth inning.

Senior Jimmy Thoms (Newport News, Va./Denbigh) earned his first win of the season for VMI, retiring all six batters he faced in the fifth and sixth innings. Senior Jeff DeMara (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) started for the Keydets and gave up two runs in the third inning before being pulled in the fourth. In total, DeMara gave up six earned runs on five hits before being relieved by junior Richard Litwin, who closed out the fourth giving up just one more run.

“I thought our offense did a great job today,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “We put pressure on Richmond's team and pitching staff all day. It was great to see our guys battle back after being down 7-4, and also for Jimmy Thoms to get his first win of the season. You really have to attribute the win to a team effort today, all of the guys we put in did a great job. It's always great to get a win against an in-state rival.”

The Keydets took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when a sacrifice fly by Good scored Sweppenhiser. The Spiders answered to take a 2-1 lead in the third with back-to-back singles from freshman Joe White (Richmond, Va./Benedictine) and junior Ben Zeskind (Miami, Fla./Miami Palmetto HS/Univ. of Florida). The Keydets rallied back in the fourth, when a pair of Spider errors led to a three-run inning, giving VMI a 4-2 lead.

Seven consecutive batters reached for Richmond in the fourth, leading to five runs and a 7-4 Spider lead. Driving in those runs were freshman Drew Poiter (Annapolis, Md./Archbishop Spalding HS), who brought home one run with his single to left field, then two-RBI hits by freshman Austin Reilly (Aledo, Texas/Fort Worth Country Day School) and White.

After each team went 1-2-3 in the fifth inning, the Keydets exploded in the sixth. Good got the Keydets rolling with a leadoff walk, after which he stole both second and third bases before scoring on an infield hit by Geisslinger. Back-to-back walks then loaded the bases for senior outfielder Elliott Erbe (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge), who brought home Geisslinger with his single through the right side. After Sweppenhiser walked to bring home the next run, Thane Smith's two-run single to left field gave the Keydets a 9-7 advantage. VMI tacked on three more in the inning, as Crumpler brought home a run after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and a two-run single through the left side by Geisslinger.

VMI wasted no time in getting back to business after retiring the Spiders in the bottom of the sixth on three groundouts. Four singles, a balk, a hit batsman and a pair of walks brought in the Keydets' three runs in the top of the seventh, as the score went to 15-7 headed into the bottom of the seventh.

“The crucial inning was the seventh when we put up a four spot to keep them at bay,” said Ikenberry.

Sweppenhiser's home run was the only offense for either side the rest of the way, as senior Josh Owens (Sandston, Va./Benedictine) and junior J.J. Hollenbeck (Vienna, Va./James Madison) combined to pitch the final three innings, allowing only three hits and no runs to close out the victory for the Keydets.

Pacing the Spiders offensively on the day were Zeskind, who finished 3-for-5, and White, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Taking the loss for Richmond was junior Wyatt Stewart (Washington D.C./Landon School), who failed to record an out while giving up four earned runs on only two hits.

The Keydets return to action Friday afternoon when they host Coppin State at Patchin Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Print Friendly Version