LEXINGTON, Va.- A six-run first inning broke the game wide open early, as the VMI baseball team posted their tenth win in their last 11 outings by defeating Longwood by a 10-3 count at Patchin Field on Wednesday afternoon.
For the Keydets (12-4), the middle of the lineup came through, as the 3-through-6 hitters combined for 10 hits, seven RBI and six runs scored. Included in that bunch were three-hit days for Jacoby Fields and B.T. Good, while Kelly Sweppenhiser and Robert Crumpler each had a pair of hits.
“Our middle of the lineup did a great job today,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “I was really impressed with our approaches in the first inning, to get a lead and put up a big number early. We talked today about how we need to respond to a loss, and the guys came out early and did it. I was especially pleased with how we caught the baseball today; Chad Rice made a couple of outstanding plays at shortstop.”
On the mound, Trey Barham improved to 3-1 on the season, working the first two innings of the contest, allowing only three hits and one run while striking out three. Kevin Booth relieved Barham to start the third inning, working three innings, also allowing three hits and a pair of runs, one earned. To finish off the game, freshman Kevin Crum worked the final four innings, facing only two batters over the minimum while allowing no runs on three hits while striking out three. For his extended work, Crum picked up his second career save.
“Trey did a great job of doing what he needed to do on a strict pitch count to start the game,” said Ikenberry. “Kevin Booth also did a nice job of working through those middle innings, while Crum just gets better and better every time we see him out there.”
After Longwood (11-9) manufactured a first-inning run, the Keydets led off with Chad Rice reaching base on a fielding error by the second baseman. A walk issued to Klint Reed brought Sweppenhiser to the plate, who delivered with an RBI single to right field. After a sacrifice fly by Crumpler brought in another run, a single by Jacoby Fields put runners on the corners before Fields stole second base. Good then delivered with a two-run single to give VMI the 4-1 advantage.
Will Smith stepped to the plate next and, following suit, delivered with a run-scoring double to left-center field. Two batters later, A.J. Yoder traded places with Smith, doubling to centerfield to bring in Smith, running the score to 6-1 after one inning, a frame that saw VMI send 11 batters to the plate against Longwood starting pitcher Kevin Light (2-3).
Ryan Rowe started the second inning on the mound for Longwood and allowed one run to the Keydets, as Good brought home Crumpler with his RBI single to center field.
The Lancers would get on the board in the fourth inning, as Booth led off the frame by walking David Loel. Loel then stole second base before scoring on Jon Quigley's one-out single through the right-side of the infield. Quigley came around to score VMI's lone unearned run, as he got to third base on a failed pickoff attempt before scoring on a passed ball.
The bottom of the fifth inning saw VMI tack on two more runs on consecutive singles by Reed, Sweppenhiser, Crumpler and Fields. Sweppenhiser's single was a historic one, as he claimed second place on the career hits list at VMI with his 219th career knock. In the eighth inning, Fields added the tenth run of the day on a single by Mike Roberts following a leadoff double by Fields.
At the plate for Longwood, only Tyler Childress hitting cleanup had multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Seven other Lancers had singles, rounding out the visitor's nine-hit effort.
The Keydets return to action Saturday afternoon, when they host Hartford in a doubleheader at Patchin Field, beginning at noon.
