Henderson?s Complete Game Leads Baseball Past Central Connecticut State, 7-2

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Henderson?s Complete Game Leads Baseball Past Central Connecticut State, 7-2

LEXINGTON, Va.? The right arm of Chris Henderson did most of the work, as the junior hurler notched the third complete game of his career as VMI claimed a 7-2 decision over Central Connecticut State on Sunday afternoon in non-conference baseball action. The Keydets improve to 4-3 on the season, while the Blue Devils drop to 0-4.

Henderson (Fredericksburg, Va./Colonial Forge) scattered nine hits while allowing two runs, one earned while improving to 2-0 in three appearances this season. His eight strikeouts established a new career-high, as he has now thrown 13.2 innings on the year while not yet walking a batter.

“I was extremely proud of way Chris Henderson came out and pitched today,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “He competed against every hitter. It was good for our offense to respond once CCSU got on the board early. Mike Roberts and Tanner Biagini had big days for us in the middle of our lineup. I was proud of how we competed today, we played a lot of baseball this weekend.”

Meanwhile, junior catcher Mike Roberts continued his blistering hot start to the season, driving in four while going 3-for-4 on the afternoon, including a pair of doubles. He also scored his second run of the day when sophomore Tanner Biagini socked his second home run of the season, a two-run shot to leftfield to wrap up the day's scoring in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Blue Devils' John Tesseyman (0-1) took the loss in his season debut, surrendering four runs over seven innings off of only five hits. Jordon Allen came on in relief for the visitors and was tagged for three runs while working the eighth inning.

Tesseyman and Henderson traded zeroes for the first three innings, with Henderson escaping a first-inning jam while Tesseyman was perfect the first time through the order. The Blue Devils claimed a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the top of the fourth, when centerfielder Kyle Zarotney scampered home on Biagini's fielding error after reaching base via a hit by pitch.

It was a short-lived lead for the visitors, however, as the Keydets struck back for three runs in the bottom-half of the fourth. Roberts plated a pair with his single up the middle before scoring himself on a groundout off the bat of Thane Smith.

After a leadoff home run by Blue Devils' second baseman Scott Allaire in the fifth to cut the margin to 3-2, the Keydets answered in the sixth when Roberts doubled home A.J. Yoder, whose stolen base put him in scoring position. VMI tacked on three more in the eighth inning, with Roberts' RBI double and Biagini's roundtripper accounting for the scoring.

With the win, Henderson improves to 2-0 in three appearances, holding an ERA of 1.32. On the offensive side of the ledger, Biagini leads the way with a .538 batting average, .885 slugging percentage, .556 on-base percentage and two home runs, while Roberts' five doubles and 13 RBI are each team bests.

The Keydets host nationally-ranked Virginia on Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Gray-Minor Stadium.
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Players Mentioned

Tanner Biagini

#24 Tanner Biagini

IF
6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
Chris Henderson

#7 Chris Henderson

RHP
6' 0"
Junior
R/R
Mike Roberts

#6 Mike Roberts

C
6' 2"
Junior
R/R
A.J. Yoder

#10 A.J. Yoder

IF
5' 11"
Junior
L/R

Players Mentioned

Tanner Biagini

#24 Tanner Biagini

6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
IF
Chris Henderson

#7 Chris Henderson

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Mike Roberts

#6 Mike Roberts

6' 2"
Junior
R/R
C
A.J. Yoder

#10 A.J. Yoder

5' 11"
Junior
L/R
IF