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VMI Defeats Virginia Tech For the First Time in 18 Years, Hands Hokies 6-2 Loss

BLACKSBURG, Va.- For the first time since 1987, the VMI baseball squad defeated Virginia Tech, breaking an 11-game losing streak to the Hokies with a 6-2 victory at English Field Wednesday evening. The win is the Keydets' first over an ACC opponent this season, in their fifth such try. VMI now stands at 20-22 on the year, while Virginia Tech falls to 15-20 in the 2005 campaign.

The Keydets' 20th win of the season marks the third straight year that the team has posted at least that many for the first time in school history. It was a combination of good hitting and solid pitching that got it done, as VMI pounded out 16 hits, however, stranded 15 runners on base, a season high.

“Tonight was another great in-state win for our program,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “For us to come down here and post our first win against Virginia Tech since 1987 really says a lot about this team. Our guys came out and completed early and stayed after them for the entire game.”

VMI received great pitching from upperclassmen Josh Owens (3-2), J.J. Hollenbeck and Jeff Demara, who combined to allow only two runs on ten hits. Owens, a senior left-hander from Sandston, Va., made his first start of the season one to remember, as he went five strong innings, allowing only five hits and two earned runs while striking out three batters. Hollenbeck, a junior from Vienna, Va., pitched the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, allowing only four hits and striking out three. Senior closer DeMara worked the ninth, limiting VT to only one hit before striking out the final batter of the game.

“Josh did a great job out there tonight in his first start of the season,” said Ikenberry. “He has come through for us all year, and really bounced back from a tough outing last weekend at Winthrop. J.J. did a good job of setting the tone in the middle innings, he pitched three great innings, even though he was on a strict pitch count. And as long as Jeff DeMara is a cadet, he'll be closing games out for us.”

Senior shortstop Matt Smith (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) paced the Keydet offense, going 4-for-6 with an RBI single, while sophomore left fielder Jacoby Fields (Prince George, Va./Pringe George) went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored. Also with multi-hit games were Thane Smith and Shane Geisslinger, who each went 2-for-5 on the night.

"Matt did a great job for us at the top of the order, getting on base for our middle-of-the-lineup guys. Jacoby had a great game too, getting three hits. And I thought Stephen Parsons did a great job behind the plate for us tonight, and coming through to give us a two-run margin early, and then with a base knock in the seventh to keep that inning going."

The Keydets had numerous opportunities to break the game open, as they left the bases loaded in three different innings, while leaving at least one runner in eight of their nine opportunities. However, the six runs were more than enough on a night when the Hokies were not able to string together any type of consistent offense off of the three Keydet hurlers.

VMI jumped on top early and never trailed in the contest. In the second inning, VMI took a 2-0 lead thanks to some small ball, as Thane Smith led off with a bunt single, stole second base on the next pitch, then moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt laid down by B.T. Good. He then came home when Fields hit a single to left field. Freshman catcher Stephen Parsons then came around to score an unearned run following his walk, giving the Keydets the early advantage.

VT answered in their half of the second, with an unearned run when Warren Schaeffer's single got past the rightfielder and allowed Matt Foley to score. However, VMI would get that run right back in the third, as Robert Crumpler came around to score after his leadoff walk.

After VT cut the margin to 3-2 with a solo home run in the fourth by Nate Parks, VMI went back to work, scratching out a run in the fifth, when Fields' leadoff double led to his first run of the night, and two more in the seventh.

In the seventh frame, Fields brought home Good, who had singled down the left field line on the first pitch of the inning, then scored a run himself on a single by Matt Smith.

"We did a good job of manufacturing the runs that we got tonight," said Ikenberry. "We had a lot of hits, but they weren't all extra-base hits, so we had to move some guys over and play some fundamental baseball. But our kids had to handle some adversity today, and I was real proud of how they responded against a team like Virginia Tech. This is exactly what we needed to get us going as we go into a key Big South Conference series this weekend facing Liberty."

Randy Buffington (0-3) earned the loss for VT, pitching only two-plus innings, allowing six hits and three runs, two earned while striking out only one. Casey Herald pitched four innings of relief, allowing eight hits and three runs in four innings, before Adam Redd pitched the final three innings, giving the Keydets only two hits while striking out four.

VMI returns to action Friday afternoon, when they kick off a key Big South Conference series against Liberty. First pitch at Patchin Field is scheduled for 3 p.m. and can be heard at AM 1450 in the Lexington area and online at www.vmikeydets.com, as Wade Branner provides the play-by-play.

GAME NOTES
* VMI now stands at 8-2 versus in-state competition, 7-8 in April and 5-2 in mid-week games this season. The Keydets also moved to 1-4 against the ACC.

* The win is the third non-conference road game the team has won this season, joining wins over Richmond and Norfolk State. This is also the Keydets' first win in a night game this season, as they were 0-3 under the lights prior to this outing.

* The Keydets broke a five-game losing skid with the win, matching their longest streak of the season for the second time.

* Both Matt Smith and Jacoby Fields recorded season highs in hits, with four and three, respectively. Josh Owens matched his longest outing of the season, going five innings, while J.J. Hollenbeck made his second relief appearance of the season.

* Earlier this year, the VMI basketball team defeated Virginia Tech by a 72-68 margin, giving them their first win over VT in seven years while gaining its first win over an ACC opponent in 40 years. The win over the Hokies also marked the first time since 1959 that VMI defeated VT in Lexington.
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