LEXINGTON, Va.? A two-run homer in the seventh inning by senior Robert Crumpler gave VMI a one-run advantage, while another roundtripper by Mike Roberts three batters later brought the margin to 6-3 as the Keydets came from behind to give junior hurler Trey Barham his seventh win of the season in Friday's series opener against High Point at Gray-Minor Stadium.
Barham (7-2), notched five strikeouts while allowing three runs, two earned, in seven innings to tie the school's career victories mark, as his ledger now reads 16-8. Collecting the two-inning save was Corey Bachman, who allowed three hits while striking out two to record his third save of the season. The win advances the Keydets' mark to 23-9 and 4-3 in the Big South, while extending the nation's sixth-longest home winning streak, now at 14 games.
Taking the loss for the Panthers (17-16, 4-3 Big South) was starter Eammon Portice, who fell to 3-5 on the season by allowing six runs, five earned, in seven innings of work. The junior righty struck out seven Keydets while walking only one yet hitting four batters.
“It was a typical Friday night game in conference, with two good arms facing off with each other,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “I was very proud of how Trey pitched, he looked very good through seven innings. We had some great at bats against Portice, who looked sharp. A.J. Yoder came up with a big two-out hit in the first inning, and Brian Sandridge did the same in the sixth. Then Robert Crumpler and Mike Roberts came up big again with some hard hit balls to give us the lead. I thought Crumpler had four great at bats today, and Mike hit some balls on the nose as well. I was very proud of the way we played defense, and if we continue to pitch and play defense like we're capable of, we'll be in a lot of ballgames. I was proud of how we came out tonight to start off the weekend.”
In one of the quickest games of the season for either side, the Keydets struck first when Chad Rice scored an unearned run in the first inning on Yoder's first-pitch single to rightfield. The Panthers quickly responded with their second triple in as many innings before a successful squeeze bunt put down by Eric Marion plated Chris Norwood to knot the score at one.
The Panthers took a 2-1 advantage with an unearned run of their own in the third inning, as Alfie Wheeler led things off by reaching on an error before scoring two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Cowan. The visitors then scored for the third-consecutive inning in the fourth, as Randy Schwartz, the League leader in RBI, hit a rocket shot beyond the leftfield wall to make it a 3-1 ballgame.
The Keydets continued to leave runners stranded in the middle innings before finally breaking through off of Portice in the sixth, as Yoder got aboard on a bunt single down the leftfield-line, moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt and a groundout, then scored on Brian Sandridge's single to leftfield, bringing the score to 3-2 and advancing the redshirt-freshman's hitting streak to six games.
After Barham worked around a leadoff single and a two-out walk to keep the Panthers off the board in the top of the seventh, the Keydets struck gold in the bottom of the frame. Rice started things off by being hit by a pitch, before being retired on a fielder's choice by Thane Smith. Crumpler quickly followed with his seventh home run of the season, a two-run blast off the rocky face in leftfield, to give the Keydets the lead back at 4-3. After a groundout, Portice hit Yoder before surrendering Roberts' first home run of the season just beyond the centerfield wall, giving the Keydets the 6-3 advantage.
The Panthers appeared they may answer back in the eighth off of Corey Bachman, on in relief of Barham, as they collected back-to-back, one-out singles before Schwartz strode to the plate. But a fine defensive play by Crumpler at first base began a 3-3-6 double play to retire the side, leaving the hosts just three outs away from victory.
Unable to scratch across anything off of HPU reliever Glenn Jones in the bottom of the eighth, VMI put away the Panthers in the ninth, as Bachman used a pair of strikeouts and a game-ending groundout to third base to strand pinch-hitter Max Fulginiti after his one-out single and give the Keydets their first Conference win at Gray-Minor Stadium.
Capping the offense for the Keydets was Yoder, who scored a pair of runs while going 2-for-3, while Crumpler (1-for-3, 2 RBI), Roberts (1-for-3, 2 RBI) and Sandridge (1-for-4, RBI) accounted for the team's RBI. For the visitors, Norwood notched the only multiple hit day while going 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored, while Cowan also collected his first triple of the season while driving home a run.
The Keydets and Panthers wrap up the series with a doubleheader on Saturday, slated for a 1 p.m. start at Gray-Minor Stadium.
