LEXINGTON, Va.? Seven unanswered runs over the final four innings gave VMI the series win with a 7-6 game one win, but a 10-run seventh-inning in game two gave High Point the doubleheader split in Big South Conference action on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Gray-Minor Stadium. The Keydets now stand at 24-10 overall and 5-4 in the Big South, while the Panthers now stand at 18-17 overall and 5-4 in the League.
In game one, Jacoby Fields' walk-off single to rightfield capped a comeback from a 6-0 sixth-inning deficit, as the Keydets rallied with four runs in the sixth, two more in the eighth and the game-winner in the ninth. In game two, Keydet hurler Chris Henderson allowed only one hit through the first six innings of work before the Panthers sent 14 men to the plate, scoring ten runs before tacking on another in the eighth to improve to claim their first-ever win in Lexington.
“I thought we played 17 innings of solid baseball today, and anytime you win the weekend in conference play is a good weekend,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry, who tied the school's career wins record with his 104th victory in game one. “We had some really gutsy performances today in brutal weather, with Jacoby having the flu and Thane battling an eye infection. I was proud of our comeback in game one, we had some big at bats by Mike Roberts and Robert Crumpler again, and obviously the huge walk-off single by Jacoby. In game two, Chris Henderson did a great job of pitching into the seventh, coming off of short rest after pitching so well against UVA. But he just ran out of gas quickly in the seventh, and they were able to hit balls where we weren't to put up crooked numbers. But again, our guys responded in tough conditions to win the weekend.”
In game one, Mike Roberts led the Keydets with a 3-for-5 performance, while Smith and Crumpler each drove in a pair of runs. For the Panthers, Robby Kuzdale, Bill Manion and Alfie Wheeler each had a pair of knocks, while Kuzdale brought home a game-high three runs. In game two, Manion went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI, while Randy Schwartz, Billy Alvino and Wheeler each brought home a pair of runs as well. Offensively for VMI, Chad Rice posted the only multiple-hit game, going 2-for-5 with an RBI, while Smith and Yoder each drove home runs as well.
In the first game, HPU grabbed a first-inning, 1-0 lead as J. Williams plated Jeff Cowan with a single through the right-side of the infield off of Keydet starter Michael Bowman. The Panthers added to that advantage with a two-run single from Kuzdale in the fourth inning, before tacking on three more runs in the sixth on back-to-back-to-back hits from Alfie Wheeler, Kuzdale and Cowan to bring the advantage to 6-0.
Allowed only two hits through the first five innings off of HPU starter Brandon Moore, the Keydet bats awoke in the sixth. Moore was lifted after giving up a pair of singles that led off the sixth in favor of reliever Chad Jennings. With two outs in the inning, Jordan Ballard hit a groundball to third base that was booted and allowed the Keydets' first run of the game to score. Chad Rice then followed with an RBI infield single, while Thane Smith brought home two more runs while a double into leftfield, making the score 6-4, as the Keydets plated four unearned runs in the inning.
VMI reliever Ian Casher kept the Panthers at bay through the seventh and eighth innings to keep the margin at two runs, though the Keydets missed out on a chance to cut into that advantage by stranding a pair of runners in the seventh. However, Robert Crumpler delivered his eighth home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth, a two-run shot to leftfield that knotted the game at 6-6 heading to the ninth inning.
After Casher issued a one-out walk, he was lifted in favor of Keydet closer Kevin Crum (1-2), who recorded the final two outs of the frame, giving the Keydets a chance for their first ninth-inning rally of the season. A one-out double off the centerfield wall by Roberts was followed by Fields' poke into rightfield, as the Panther rightfielder could not come up cleanly with the ball, allowing Roberts to score the team's first walk-off win since last May 13, when the Keydets came back to defeat North Carolina A&T, also in the first game of a doubleheader.
The Keydets took a 2-0 advantage in the first inning of game two, as Smith plated Rice following a leadoff double, while Smith came around to score on Yoder's RBI triple three batters later. Back-to-back doubles from Ballard and Rice gave the Keydets a 3-0 advantage in the second, while Henderson set down 16 of the first 18 batters he faced, while facing the minimum through six innings. However, the Keydets were unable to take advantage by stranding baserunners in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, as the score remained 3-0 heading to the seventh.
Henderson was lifted from the game after allowing a pair of singles and a walk to begin the seventh, as Corey Bachman came on in relief. Bachman was greeted by a successful squeeze bunt by Randy Schwartz, as Cowan beat Bachman's throw to the plate to give the Panthers their first run of the game. After a walk issued to Williams, Bachman was lifted in favor of Crum, who surrendered four consecutive hits and six knocks in all, while a pair of errors also contributed to the highest-scoring inning against the Keydets on the season.
The Panthers then tacked on another run in the eighth on Wheeler's RBI single, bringing the final margin to 11-3. Earning the win was HPU's Bubba O'Donnell (3-3), who worked seven innings to allow only three runs while striking out eight, while Bachman (4-1) was tagged with the loss, as he allowed a pair of runs while failing to record an out.
The Keydets return to action on Wednesday evening, as they take on Norfolk State on the road at 6 p.m. The Panthers next play on Tuesday, as they take on North Carolina A&T on the road at 3 p.m.
