Winthrop Takes Game Three of Conference Series, 4-0

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Winthrop Takes Game Three of Conference Series, 4-0

LEXINGTON, Va.? VMI suffered its first shutout of the season on Sunday afternoon, dropping the rubber game of a three-game set to Winthrop, 4-0, in Big South Conference play at Gray-Minor Stadium.

Three Eagle (11-16, 2-1 Big South) hurlers combined to post the team's second shutout of the season, as southpaw starter Ryan Mullins (2-0) went six-plus innings, allowing only three hits and the team's first walk of the weekend while striking out four. The Keydets (10-15, 4-2 Big South) posted five hits off of Matteo D'Angelo through his 2.1 innings, before Josh McDonald came on to induce a game-ending double play, collecting his second save of the season.

Keydet starter Chris Henderson (3-3) struck out a career-best 11 batters without issuing a walk, improving upon his ten-strikeout performance from last weekend. The junior right-hander was charged with unearned runs in the second and third innings, before solo home runs by Billy Froehlich in the fourth and Eddie Tisdale in the eighth provided the final margin.

“I thought that Chris threw an outstanding game,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “With the exception of the two solo home runs, it was a pretty clean game. We gave them two runs early in the game on the passed ball and the error that kicks off of Tanner's glove and goes flying into the dugout, and you can't give teams like Winthrop runs like that.”

After a one-out double, Bryn Henderson scored the game's first run in the second inning on a passed ball. In the third, Tyler McBride tagged up from second base on a fly out to right field, sliding in safely to third base while the relay throw from shortstop A.J. Yoder skipped into the Winthrop dugout, allowing McBride to score.

Froehlich's fifth home run of the season led off the fourth inning, before Henderson retired the next nine batters he faced, including six strikeouts. After Froehlich's home run, Henderson allowed only one more hit through his final five innings of work, when Tisdale hit his first home run of the season.

Eagle pitchers escaped two-on, one-out jams in both the sixth and seventh innings, as Mullins induced a double play in the sixth and D'Angelo got a pair of groundouts to wrap things up in the seventh.

Trailing 4-0 in the eighth, the Keydets led off the frame with back-to-back knocks by Justin Hess and Alex Haitsuka, however, D'Angelo again escaped unscathed, striking out a pair before getting Tanner Biagini to fly out.

A ninth-inning rally brought the tying run to the plate for the Keydets, with Thane Smith drawing a one-out walk before Brian Sandridge and Sam Roberts loaded the bases with back-to-back singles. McDonald came on to face Hess, who rolled a 2-1 pitch to the right-side of the infield, as the Eagles turned their second inning-ending double play of the day to seal the win.

“We had our opportunities in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings to put runs on the board, and they dodged the bullet,” said Ikenberry. “I knew getting into their bullpen would give us a chance to do some things, but we were a hit short in several different situations. I was proud of the way that our guys played and I was really proud of the way the bottom of our lineup hit.”

The fifth-through-ninth spots in the Keydet order accounted for seven of the team's eight hits. Hess and Sam Roberts each had a pair of hits to lead the way, as the Keydets failed to collect an extra-base hit for the second time this season.

The Keydets return to action on Tuesday evening, when Richmond comes to Gray-Minor Stadium for a 6 p.m. start.
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Players Mentioned

Marlin Ikenberry

Marlin Ikenberry

HBBC
Redshirt
Tanner Biagini

#24 Tanner Biagini

IF
6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
Alex Haitsuka

#28 Alex Haitsuka

C/OF
6' 3"
Freshman
R/R
Chris Henderson

#7 Chris Henderson

RHP
6' 0"
Junior
R/R
Justin Hess

#3 Justin Hess

IF/OF
5' 11"
Sophomore
L/R
Sam Roberts

#4 Sam Roberts

IF/OF/P
6' 2"
Freshman
L/R
Brian Sandridge

#31 Brian Sandridge

OF
6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
A.J. Yoder

#10 A.J. Yoder

IF
5' 11"
Junior
L/R

Players Mentioned

Marlin Ikenberry

Marlin Ikenberry

Redshirt
HBBC
Tanner Biagini

#24 Tanner Biagini

6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
IF
Alex Haitsuka

#28 Alex Haitsuka

6' 3"
Freshman
R/R
C/OF
Chris Henderson

#7 Chris Henderson

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Justin Hess

#3 Justin Hess

5' 11"
Sophomore
L/R
IF/OF
Sam Roberts

#4 Sam Roberts

6' 2"
Freshman
L/R
IF/OF/P
Brian Sandridge

#31 Brian Sandridge

6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
OF
A.J. Yoder

#10 A.J. Yoder

5' 11"
Junior
L/R
IF