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Thoms? Complete Game Leads VMI Past Longwood 11-4 in Series Opener

LEXINGTON, Va.- A pair of big innings was more than enough for Jimmy Thoms on Friday afternoon, as the senior hurler threw VMI's first complete game of the season, leading the Keydets to an 11-4 victory over Longwood in the first game of a weekend non-conference series at Patchin Field. With the win, VMI improves to 15-17 on the season, while Longwood falls to 11-20.

Thoms (Newport News, Va./Denbigh) allowed four runs on 13 hits, striking out five hitters while issuing only two walks. He allowed only one extra base hit, while his defense aided him with a pair of double plays in the game. He worked out of several jams, as Longwood ended up leaving 10 runners on base, including at least two men in four different innings.

“Jimmy did a great job of pitching for us today,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “I wanted to take him out of the game when I went to talk to him in the ninth, but he said that he wanted the complete game, and he went out and got the final two guys out to end it.”

Thoms (4-3) went the distance for only the second time in his career, and became the first Keydet to do so in nearly a year, since J.J. Hollenbeck got a complete game victory over Winthrop on April 24 last season. Taking the loss for Longwood was sophomore Alan Moore (Richmond, Va./Monacan), who allowed eight runs, five earned, on eight hits in 4.1 innings, falling to 3-4 on the season.

Leading the Keydet offense were the fifth and sixth hitters in the VMI lineup, sophomore first baseman Robert Crumpler (Suffolk, Va./Nansemond-Suffolk) and sophomore left fielder Thane Smith (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial). Crumpler went 3-for-5, collecting four RBI, while Smith went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI, as all 12 of VMI's hits recorded on the day were singles.

“Thane and Robert had great days for us today offensively,” said Ikenberry. “We did a very good job of playing the short game, putting pressure on their pitcher to make pitches and make plays.”

Four Lancers had a pair of hits in the game, including sophomore center fielder Tyler Ames (Exmore, Va./Northampton), who also had a pair of RBI.

The visitors grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, as Charlie Yarbrough brought home Ames with a one-out single. However, after a walk two batters later loaded the bases, Thoms got Corey Huemmer to ground out to third base, killing the Lancer threat to take control of the game early.

After Moore retired the Keydets 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first, the Longwood hitters went back to work, scraping together another run, when Ames' one-out hit to left field scored Joe Bott, who had reached on a leadoff infield single. Once again though, Thoms worked out of the jam and eliminated a big inning by inducing a double play to escape with VMI trailing only 2-0.

The Keydets answered in the bottom of the third, with some help from their opponents. After Stephen Parsons singled to lead off the inning, Shane Geisslinger reached base as he attempted a sacrifice bunt that Moore threw away. Moore's next pitch hit Matt Smith, loading the bases for Jacoby Fields. Fields sent a fly ball to right field, deep enough to score Parsons and advance Geisslinger to third base. After a walk was issued to Kelly Sweppenhiser and Elliott Erbe fouled out to the first baseman, Crumpler stepped to bat with the bases loaded and delivered yet again, with a base hit to center field that brought home two more runs and gave the Keydets a 3-2 lead. Four pitches later, Thane Smith brought home another run with an infield hit, as VMI wrapped up the third inning with a 4-2 lead.

That is how it would stay until the VMI fifth inning, when the Keydets put the game out of reach. Four consecutive hits, two of them bunt singles including a safety squeeze executed by Thane Smith that scored Erbe, were followed by a sacrifice bunt and a pair of walks, as the home team played some of their best small ball of the season in the inning. Matt Smith came up with the bases loaded and ripped a two-run single that was followed by an infield hit by Fields that scored Geisslinger to put VMI up 10-2 after five innings.

Thoms continued his mound mastery from there, as he allowed only one base runner over the next two innings, then induced a double play to end the eighth inning after giving up a pair of hits.

The Keydets tacked on one more run in their half of the eighth, when Crumpler's base knock to center field scored Fields.

Longwood rallied in the ninth, however, were able to push across only one more run off Thoms, when Ames' sacrifice fly scored pinch-runner Matt Duval for the first out of the inning. After a groundout by Yarbrough, Thoms dug deep to strike out Louis Ullrich for the final out of his nine-inning gem.

The Keydets and Lancers return to action Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Patchin Field, an hour later than previously scheduled. The series will wrap up on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.


GAME NOTES

-With eight RBI in the last two games, Robert Crumpler has now moved into the team lead for RBI for the first time this season with 29, leading Kelly Sweppenhiser, who has 27.

-Friday's game was the fourth time the Keydets have failed to record an extra-base hit in a game and the first time they have done so in a game they won.

-Friday's win is marks the first time VMI has won back-to-back games since March 18 & 19 vs. UNC Asheville.

-Friday's win marks the fifth game that VMI has won while being out-hit by their opponent

-The Keydets now stand at 10-2 vs. non-conference opponents at Patchin Field this season

-VMI is 12-1 when scoring six or more runs, and 6-0 when scoring 10 or more

-Kelly Sweppenhiser (6), Thane Smith (6) and Robert Crumpler (5) each have hitting streaks of at least five games, while Crumpler has recorded multiple RBI in each of the last three games.

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