RADFORD, Va.? A nine-run advantage was not enough on Saturday afternoon, as VMI saw Radford come all the way back to tie the score with nine unanswered runs before the Keydets scratched across three runs in the tenth to score a 12-9 win in Big South Conference action at Dedmon Center Park. The win improves VMI to 32-16 overall and 8-9 in the Big South, while the Highlanders fall to 10-30 and 2-15.
The Keydets evened the weekend series as Mike Roberts collected a career-best five hits while driving in three runs, while Kevin Crum improved to 3-2 on the mound with the win. The sophomore reliever allowed the tying run in the eighth inning to score to cost him a save, but continued to battle throughout the final two innings to score the win.
“Kevin Crum stepped up in the ninth and tenth innings to shut down Radford when we needed him to,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “His stuff was electric today, and it is good to have him back in ballgames like he was earlier this season. Our seniors got it done for us in the tenth inning, and Mike Roberts had an outstanding day offensively. Jacoby Fields came off the bench and got us another run when we needed it in the tenth. I was proud of how we played in the back end and the front end of the game, but we had some mental lapses in the middle that cost us runs. It was good to have a win like that on the road in Conference play.”
Just as in Friday's contest, the Keydets dominated the first part of the game, only to see the Highlanders answer back with a furious rally of their own. VMI plated nine runs over the first four innings of the game, while starter Trey Barham mowed down the Highs the first time through the order. The middle innings saw the tide shift, with Radford scoring in each of the next four innings, completing the comeback with three runs in the eighth inning to deadlock the game.
Roberts plated a pair with his single through the right-side of the infield in the first inning off of RU starter Will Naylor, as VMI sent seven men to the plate in the opening frame. A.J. Yoder then made it a 3-0 advantage with his sacrifice fly in the second inning. Eddie Van Es then led off the third inning with a walk, which was followed by a hit-and-run attempt with Roberts at the plate. With Van Es going on the pitch, Roberts flailed on a ball low and away out of the strike zone, and made contact for a soft dribbler to the left-side of the infield. A diving Nick Minter made the stop at third base and threw to first base, though not in time to retire Roberts. Van Es then advanced to third base as no one was covering the bag, and caused an errant throw from Alex Gregory at first base, then scooted home to bring the margin to 4-0 with an unearned run. Shane Geisslinger later in the inning made it a 5-0 lead with an infield single to plate Roberts with another unearned run.
The visitors then advanced the lead to 9-0 with a four-run outburst in the fourth. Yoder led things off with his second home run of the season, followed by a single up the middle by Robert Crumpler. After another single from Roberts, Thane Smith connected for his third triple of the season, plating both Crumpler and Roberts on his bash down the left-field line. Smith then came on to score as Brian Sandridge reached on another error from Gregory, as he dropped the throw from the shortstop Rocky Weiss, making the advantage 9-0.
On the other side, Barham allowed only one batter over the minimum through the first three innings before struggling with his control in the fourth. A leadoff walk was followed by an infield single, before Barham struck out the next two batters. A full-count walk issued to Reggie Keen loaded the bases for second baseman Josh Eason, who grounded out to second base on another full-count pitch, as the Highlanders stranded three and kept the game at 9-0.
The Keydet offense then went into a funk over the next three innings, failing to score a hit until the top of the seventh inning. Meanwhile, Barham allowed his first run of the game after Nachion Moore led off the fifth with a triple and trotted home on an RBI groundout from Weiss. That was all Barham allowed until the sixth, when three consecutive singles plated Steve Mignogna to make it a 9-2 contest. A double steal then saw an errant throw by Roberts behind the plate and brought home one run, while Barham issued his third walk of the day to put runners on the corners. Keen then attempted to steal second base, and Roberts' throw again sailed high, bringing home another run before Eason connected with a base knock to chase Barham from the inning while failing to record an out.
Chris Duty came on to stop the bleeding and did just that, as Roberts threw out a runner on the basepaths and Duty notched a strikeout and a groundout to escape without further damage. The Highs then continued their rally in the seventh off of Duty, plating two more as Raphael Turner came up with a pinch-hit single up the middle to make it a 9-6 deficit through seven innings.
In the eighth, Duty allowed a one-out single to Rocky Weiss, followed by a two-run home run by Steve Mignogna, as he cleared the leftfield wall to bring the margin to 9-8 and chase Duty from the game in favor of Crum. The righthander allowed a single down the leftfield line to Steven Ellis to begin his day, then saw Ellis steal second base. Friday's hero Nate Toth then plated the tying run with a single down the leftfield line, and was then thrown out trying to score the go-ahead run on a Josh Cooper single to end the eighth.
A Chad Rice two-out single in the top of the ninth went for naught as the Keydets tried to reclaim the lead, as Crum went back out to the mound to work the bottom of the frame. Turner led things off and was hit by a pitch before stealing second and advancing to third on a passed ball, leaving the winning run 90 feet away with no one out. However, Crum responded with back-to-back strikeouts before inducing a groundout to second base as the momentum shifted back to the visiting side.
In the tenth, Crumpler led things off by blasting a ball to deep rightfield, ending up on second base on an error by the rightfielder. That got the rally going, as Van Es followed with a single to put runners on the corners and chase Kyle Starr (2-6) from the contest. On in relief came Eric Evans, who earned his first save of the season in last night's contest. He surrendered an RBI single to Roberts to break the tie, while Jacoby Fields came up with another run-scoring single to plate Van Es with the second run of the inning. With Roberts on third base, Justin Hess dropped down a successful squeeze bunt, as the Keydets took a three-run lead to the bottom of the inning.
Crum then retired the top three hitters in the Highlander lineup, including a strikeout of Gregory, the Big South's leading hitter, to lock up the game and give the Keydets their 32nd win of the season.
The Keydets and Highlanders will meet in the rubber game on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Dedmon Center Park.
