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Hollenbeck Hurls VMI?s Second Complete Game in as Many Days in 9-1 Win over Longwood

LEXINGTON, Va.- A day after senior Jimmy Thoms allowed four runs while throwing VMI's first complete game of the season, junior J.J. Hollenbeck did him one better, allowing only one run while throwing the Keydets' second complete game of the season in a 9-1 victory over Longwood on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Patchin Field.

Hollenbeck (Vienna, Va./James Madison) needed only 106 pitches, 80 strikes, for the second complete game of his career, allowing the Lancers (11-21) their only run in the first inning. The junior right-hander struck out eight batters while walking none, scattering seven hits while retiring Longwood 1-2-3 in four different innings. Hollenbeck improves to 2-3 on the season, while VMI now stands at 16-17 overall.

“J.J. pitched very well for us today,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “He had all four pitches working and did a great job of keeping hitters off-balance. He mixed his pitches well and used the entire strike zone, he did a great job for us to get the complete game.”

For the second time in three games, a Keydet went deep twice, as junior third baseman Kelly Sweppenhiser (Herndon, Pa./Line Mountain) had solo home runs in the third and sixth innings as he finished the day 2-for-3 with three runs scored and a pair of RBI. Senior right fielder Elliott Erbe (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) led the Keydets in hitting, going 3-for-4 with a double and a three-run home run in the fourth inning.

“Kelly really got us going offensively today, his solo home run in the third inning was a big hit that gave us the lead,” said Ikenberry. “Then Elliott broke the game open with his home run in the fourth, I was real proud of the his at bats today.”

Taking the loss for the Lancers was starter Isaac Weiderman, who fell to 1-4 on the season, giving up six runs on seven hits, striking out only one batter while walking three in 3.2 innings of work. Rob Moody relieved Weiderman, pitching the final 4.1 innings, giving up three runs on four hits.

Only four Lancers got hits on the day while three of them had multiple hits. Chris Balus and Charlie Yarbrough each went 2-for-4, while Travis Lydon went 2-for-3 against Hollenbeck. Brett Mangigian recorded Longwood's only other hit, a pinch-hit double in the seventh inning.

For the second straight day, Longwood struck first, manufacturing a single run in the top of the first. Balus led off the game with a single to left field, then stole second. He then moved to third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Childress to score the Lancers' only run of the day.

VMI tied the game up in the second, when Erbe came around to score from second on a single by Thane Smith. The Keydets then took the lead when Sweppenhiser stepped to the plate in the third inning and stroked his ninth home run of the season to put VMI up 2-1.

The Keydets exploded for five runs in the fourth inning, all with two outs. After Matt Smith singled home Shane Geisslinger, Klint Reed scored on a wild pitch, the first pitch thrown by the reliever Moody. Erbe caught up to Moody's next pitch and sent it beyond the right-center field fence for his fourth home run of the season, giving VMI a 7-1 lead after four innings.

VMI put up single runs in the next two innings, as Thane Smith scored on a safety squeeze executed by Geisslinger in the fifth and Sweppenhiser's tenth home run brought the scoring to an end in the sixth.

Both Matt and Thane Smith also had a pair of hits on the day, as Matt went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI, while Thane went 2-for-4, also with a run scored and an RBI.

The Keydets and Lancers wrap up this weekend's series with a single game on Sunday afternoon, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Patchin Field.
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