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Baseball Surges To 14-3 Win Over Charleston Southern

LEXINGTON, Va.? Junior hurler Michael Bowman struck out ten and allowed only one run in six innings while the Keydet bats pounded out 14 hits as VMI claimed a 14-3, series-opening win over Charleston Southern on Friday evening at Gray-Minor Stadium. The Keydets improve to 27-24 overall and 12-7 in the Big South, while the Bucs fall to 18-32 overall and 6-13 in the League.

Bowman (Richmond, Va./Deep Run) did not walk a batter while matching his career high in strikeouts. The right-hander scattered five hits in improving to 4-5 on the season, while VMI moves to 7-5 in his 12 starts this season.

“Bowman came out and set the tone on Friday night,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “Matt Edwards and Josh McPherson came on and got the job done late. I was really proud of our guys' effort after a long week with all of the festivities going on. We came out focused and took care of business, and we need to come out tomorrow and do the same thing.”

The VMI offense, meanwhile, scored its most runs in a Big South contest in over two years.

Long balls were a theme of the night as CSU scored each of their runs on solo home runs, while VMI sophomores Brian Sandridge and Justin Hess each went deep off of Buc starter Andrew White (4-6). White worked three innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on six hits.

Keydet freshman Justin Topping (3-for-5) had pair of two-run doubles to post his career-high four RBIs, while Hess went 3-for-6 with two runs scored. Sandridge and Jordan Ballard also chipped in two hits for the Keydets.

“I was very pleased with our offensive approaches today,” said Ikenberry. “We had good offensive performances by Justin Topping, Justin Hess and Brian Sandridge, who had a big, three-run home run for us in the third inning to give us some breathing room.”

The Keydets took advantage of five CSU errors, seven walks and four hit batters. On the other side, Bowman and relievers Matt Edwards and Josh McPherson combined to tie a season-best with 14 strikeouts without issuing a walk.

Kory Morian, Tom Burkett and Michael Obuchowski each hit home runs for the visitors, while Nick Chinners' 2-for-4 outing represented CSU's only multiple-hit night.

White was relieved on the mound by Brandon Roberts, who surrendered four runs, one earned on two hits in two-thirds of an inning. Eric McGough worked the final 4.1 frames, allowing five runs, three earned, on six hits, striking out four while throwing 107 pitches.

The Keydets and Bucs play game two of the weekend series on Saturday evening at 6 p.m.
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Players Mentioned

Jordan Ballard

#26 Jordan Ballard

IF
6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
Michael Bowman

#17 Michael Bowman

RHP
6' 3"
Junior
R/R
Matt Edwards

#14 Matt Edwards

RHP/DH
5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
Justin Hess

#3 Justin Hess

IF/OF
5' 11"
Sophomore
L/R
Josh McPherson

#27 Josh McPherson

RHP
6' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
Brian Sandridge

#31 Brian Sandridge

OF
6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
Justin Topping

#5 Justin Topping

C/OF
5' 11"
Freshman
R/R

Players Mentioned

Jordan Ballard

#26 Jordan Ballard

6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
IF
Michael Bowman

#17 Michael Bowman

6' 3"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Matt Edwards

#14 Matt Edwards

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
RHP/DH
Justin Hess

#3 Justin Hess

5' 11"
Sophomore
L/R
IF/OF
Josh McPherson

#27 Josh McPherson

6' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
RHP
Brian Sandridge

#31 Brian Sandridge

6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
OF
Justin Topping

#5 Justin Topping

5' 11"
Freshman
R/R
C/OF