Baseball VMIKeydets.com

Baseball Beats Weather, Maryland Eastern Shore In 7-6 Victory

LEXINGTON, Va.? Freshman Sam Roberts' base knock through the right-side of the infield plated Justin Hess with what proved to be the winning run, as VMI battled back for a 7-6, rain-shortened win over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Sunday afternoon at Gray-Minor Stadium.

With VMI (26-22) trailing 6-4 entering the seventh inning, rain began to fall, dampening the Keydets' chances for a series sweep. The Keydets, as they have done all season, rallied with their backs to the wall.

VMI sent eight men to the plate against UMES (6-48) starter Russel Deutschmann (0-3). The right-hander allowed a leadoff single, hit a batter, then walked back-to-back Keydets to bring the margin to 6-5. With one out, Shane Geisslinger sent a fly ball to shallow center field, where it was caught by Jorge Pichardo, before the right-fielder tripped over a teammate. That allowed Jordan Ballard to score the tying run, before Roberts delivered the eventual game-winner.

After Edwards retired the Hawks in order in the eighth, VMI had their first two hitters of the bottom half reach base before Ballard flew out to shallow center field. With the count 1-1 to A.J. Yoder and the rain increasing, lightning flashed, causing an immediate delay, and soon after, the game's end.

The seventh-inning rally made a winner of Matt Edwards (2-0), who allowed only one base runner through 3.1 innings of relief, striking out three. He came on in the fifth after starter Travis Smink, who allowed six runs, four earned, on nine hits in 4.2 innings, left the game with an apparent ailment on his left (throwing) hand.

“I've never been a part of a game like that where balls just fell in time and time again right where we weren't,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry after the Hawks managed four infield hits and three bloop singles. “But it was good for us to fight back and get the win when we knew we had to do it.”

Back-to-back RBI singles from Brian Sandridge and Ballard gave VMI a 2-0 advantage in the first, before Tyler Love's run-scoring double cut the lead to 2-1 in the visitor second. In the bottom-half, a two-run home run by Alex Haitsuka, his first career dinger, pushed the Keydet advantage to 4-1.

The Hawks rallied in the third. Pat Hercinger's single plated speedy leadoff man Phil Vaughn before Remo Orsini scored an unearned run on a groundout. UMES tied the game on an infield single by Pichardo that scored Pat Hercinger.

The visitors didn't stop there, tacking on single runs in the next two innings, with John Goray scoring the go-ahead run in the fourth after walking, then doubling home the insurance run in the fifth.

Goray's double was the last batter Smink faced, as Edwards came on for his second-straight day of work.

Deutschmann continued to flummox the Keydets in the middle innings, with VMI stranding a pair of base runners in both the fifth and sixth innings until finally striking in the seventh.

The Keydets return to action on Tuesday evening, taking on nationally-ranked Virginia in Charlottesville at 6 p.m. The Hawks take on North Carolina A&T in Norfolk on Monday afternoon at 3 p.m.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Jordan Ballard

#26 Jordan Ballard

IF
6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
Matt Edwards

#14 Matt Edwards

RHP/DH
5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
Shane Geisslinger

#2 Shane Geisslinger

IF
5' 8"
Senior
R/R
Alex Haitsuka

#28 Alex Haitsuka

C/OF
6' 3"
Freshman
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
Travis Smink

#35 Travis Smink

LHP
6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
L/L
A.J. Yoder

#10 A.J. Yoder

IF
5' 11"
Junior
L/R

Players Mentioned

Jordan Ballard

#26 Jordan Ballard

6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
IF
Matt Edwards

#14 Matt Edwards

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
RHP/DH
Shane Geisslinger

#2 Shane Geisslinger

5' 8"
Senior
R/R
IF
Alex Haitsuka

#28 Alex Haitsuka

6' 3"
Freshman
R/R
C/OF
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
Travis Smink

#35 Travis Smink

6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
L/L
LHP
A.J. Yoder

#10 A.J. Yoder

5' 11"
Junior
L/R
IF