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VMI Baseball Comes Up Short at Auburn in Series Finale, 4-3

AUBURN, Ala.-The VMI baseball team's comeback attempt fell short Sunday afternoon, as the Keydets fell 4-3 in the series finale against Auburn at Plainsman Park. With the loss, VMI moves to 8-10 on the season, while Aubrn improves to 15-5.

Auburn starter Josh Blake improved to 2-1 after allowing two runs on five hits in a career-high 5 1/3 innings. Michael Nix tossed two scoreless innings for his fifth save.

Three of the Tigers' four runs scored courtesy of sacrifice fly RBIs, including two in the first inning.

Jimmy Thoms took the loss for VMI after allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits in six innings.

The Tigers' three-run first was started by Tyler Johnstone who walked and advanced to third on a Clete Thomas double. Karl Amonite scored Johntstone with a sacrifice fly and Josh Bell plated Thomas with a double to left. Bell scored two batter's later on a Russell Dixon sacrifice fly.

Auburn took a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning when Dixon scored on Adam Stacey's fly out to left field.

VMI plated a pair of runs in the sixth inning and added another in the seventh.

Jacoby Fields led off the Keydet's sixth with a single and Kelly Sweppenhiser doubled before Elliott Erbe's sacrifice fly scored Fields. Sweppenhiser scored on a Robert Crumpler ground out.

Fields' two-out single in the seventh scored Stephen Parsons, who reached on a one-out error.

Thomas had two hits to lead the Auburn offense. Fields and Sweppenhiser each had two hits for VMI.

The Keydets return to action Wednesday afternoon, when they host Norfolk State in a single contest scheduled to start at 2 p.m. at Patchin Field.

HEAD COACH MARLIN IKENBERRY- "All in all, today was a great college baseball game. I was really proud of our guys battling back after we went down 4-0 to cut the lead to one run with two at bats left. We had some good at bats to get us those two runs in the sixth, and Jaacoby had a great at bat in the seventh to get us within one. I was glad to see Jimmy (Thoms) settle down after the first inning, and Jeff did a nice job of coming in with a man on and shutting down that rally. Playing these tight kind of games against quality teams like this is really going to help us in conference play, which starts up next weekend."
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