LEXINGTON, Va.? Senior Robert Crumpler broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning with an RBI double before slugging a two-run home run in the sixth inning, and that was all that the VMI pitching staff needed as the Keydets took a 3-1 decision against Maryland-Eastern Shore on Friday afternoon. The team's fifth straight win improves VMI's record to 10-3 on the year, while UMES fell to 2-11.
Junior left-hander Trey Barham (4-1) earned the decision by throwing seven innings of shutout baseball, scattering three hits and walking three while striking out seven. Sophomore Kevin Crum allowed his second run of the season in collecting his eighth save in eight appearances, giving up four hits while working the final two innings.
Earning the hard-luck loss for the Hawks was senior right-hander Dustin Longchamps (1-4), who worked his first complete game of the season, surrendering only five hits and one earned run in eight innings. He also struck out six batters while walking only two.
“Their pitcher did a great job of keeping us at bay,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “We did a good job of having good at bats early in the game, and they finally paid off in the middle innings. In the sixth inning, Crumpler did a great job of getting a pitch he could handle to extend the lead. I thought Trey pitched well without his best stuff, and Crum did a great job of doing what he does best. I'm very proud of how we competed and played baseball today, this was a good win.”
Each starting pitcher found their rhythm early, as Barham faced the minimum through four innings and Longchamps did the same for the game's first three frames. In the bottom of the fourth, Chad Rice scored the game's first hit on a single through the left-side of the infield, before moving up 90 feet on a bunt single down the third-base line by A.J. Yoder. Crumpler's double to left field plated the first run of the game and left a pair of runners in scoring position with one out, but Longchamps answered with a pair of strikeouts to end the rally.
Barham saw his no-hitter erased in the fifth inning, as James Walls' high chopper went just beyond the mound for an infield single. That left runners at the corners with two outs after Justin Hoban had led off the inning with a walk, but Barham responded with another strikeout to keep the visitors off the board.
After working a 1-2-3 fifth inning, Longchamps again ran into trouble in the sixth inning. Rice reached on a one-out error by the second baseman, while Crumpler followed that up two batters later with his second round-tripper of the season, advancing the lead to 3-0.
That was how it remained until Crum entered the ballgame to begin the eighth inning. A leadoff single by Derrick Baker was followed by a passed ball that put the designated hitter into scoring position. Eric Gaines' base-knock into centerfield broke the shutout, while a Josh Dean single to right-field left runners at the corners with only one out against the Keydet closer. However, a third-to-first pickoff move caught Dean trying to steal second base for the inning's second out, while Joel Gonzalez's line drive to centerfield was caught to keep the score at 3-1.
A leadoff single by Hoban in the ninth inning went for naught against Crum, as he retired the next three batters to preserve the win, the seventh in eight tries for VMI at home this season.
Offensively for the Keydets, seniors Rice (2-for-4, two runs) and Crumpler (2-for-3, three RBI) took care of the heavy lifting, while Yoder accounted for the team's only other hit. For the Hawks, seven of the team's nine starters collected a base knock, as none went for extra bases. Gaines (1-for-3) collected the lone RBI that scored Baker (1-for-3).
Game two of the weekend series is slated for 2 p.m. at Gray-Minor Stadium.
