LEXINGTON, Va. ? Three Keydets hit their first collegiate home runs Saturday, as Graham Sullivan, Sam Roberts and Jacob Morley went yard to help VMI split an afternoon non-conference doubleheader with Rider at Gray-Minor Stadium.
Roberts and Morley went deep in game one to lead the Keydets to a 17-11 win, as the two VMI outfielders both homered during a nine-run outburst in the fifth inning. Morley's grand slam was the main impetus for that explosion, and Roberts had a three-run shot to cap the scoring. However, despite home runs by Sullivan and Roberts, Rider prevailed in the seven-inning nightcap, 12-8. The split of the doubleheader moves VMI to 4-7 overall, while Rider now sits at 3-3.
Game one saw VMI strike for three runs in the home half of the first, thanks in large part to a pair of Rider errors. A.J. Yoder singled to lead off the frame, and went to second when Morley dropped down a bunt along the first base line. Rider first baseman Matt McCollum fielded the ball, but dropped it as he attempted to stand and make the needed throw. Tanner Biagini then had a bunt single, but Rider third baseman Mason Heyne threw the ball away for another error, allowing Yoder to score. Jordan Ballard then plated a run with a sacrifice fly, and Brian Sandridge got Biagini home on yet another bunt, a safety squeeze play that gave VMI a 3-0 advantage.
The Broncs came right back in the second, plating four against VMI freshman Michael Devine. Back-to-back doubles scored the first run, and one batter later, Rider left fielder Maurice Williams had an RBI single for the second score. After a foul out, Williams stole second and scored when VMI's Sandridge misplayed a fly ball by allowing it to glance off his glove for a two-base error. The next batter drove in a run with an RBI single, giving the Broncs the 4-3 advantage.
VMI tied the score in the bottom half, as Alex Haitsuka scored when Sullivan grounded into a double play. Both teams went quietly in the third, but Rider retook the lead with two runs in the fourth. Trailing 6-4, VMI grabbed the edge back with three quick runs off Broncs starter Derek Caldwell (0-1). A Morley sacrifice fly, a passed ball and a Biagini RBI single gave the home squad a 7-6 cushion, a lead they would not relinquish.
The Keydets exploded in the bottom of the fifth, as they posted their best offensive inning of the young season. 12 men hit in the inning, nine of them scored and there were a pair of home runs along the way. Sandridge was hit by a pitch to start the rally, and Roberts followed by dropping down a perfect bunt single. Haitsuka was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and freshman George Piccirilli drove home VMI's eighth run with a sacrifice fly. One out later, Yoder was intentionally walked and Morley made Rider pay, driving a 2-0 pitch over the center field fence for his first collegiate home run. The grand slam put the Keydets up 12-6, but VMI was not done.
Biagini doubled, and Ballard hammered an RBI single to drive in the VMI third baseman. Sandridge singled in his second at-bat of the inning, and Roberts blasted the first pitch he saw off the top of the left field scoreboard for a three-run shot, making it 17-6. The home run was the first career round-tripper for the VMI right fielder.
Keydet freshman Jeremy Brown (1-1) struck out the side in the Rider sixth, and VMI added yet another run in the bottom half, as Yoder got a run home on a fielder's choice. Trailing 18-6, Rider scored a pair of runs in the seventh and three in the eighth off the VMI bullpen, but freshman Andrew Deal came on and quelled the rally, firing two scoreless innings to close out the contest.
In the opener, the Keydets had six players with multiple hits, led by Biagini's three. Morley drove in five runs for VMI, and seven Keydets crossed the plate more than once, led by Yoder's three runs scored. Brown earned his first collegiate win, as he did not surrender a run over his final three frames.
In game two, Morley had three more hits, as the freshman went 4-for-8 with six RBI during the twinbill. However, it was not enough to overcome four VMI errors, as the Keydets fell to 4-7 on the season with the 12-8 setback.
Rider struck early and often in game two, as the Broncs held an 8-2 advantage after four-and-a-half innings despite Sullivan's first collegiate home run, but the Keydets tried to mount a rally. A single run in the fourth, driven in by Morley, made it 8-3, and after a Rider solo shot in the fifth, VMI rallied for five in the bottom half of the frame. Ballard walked to start the inning, and then Roberts hit his second home run of the day, a shot that carried well beyond the right field fence.
Two batters later, Piccirilli plated another run with an RBI single, and after a strikeout, the Keydets pulled off a perfect double steal. As Piccirilli beat the catcher's throw to second, VMI's Haitsuka broke for the plate and scored easily, cutting the deficit to 9-7. Yoder then laced the first pitch he saw into deep right-center for an RBI triple, pulling the Keydets to within a run. The VMI second baseman then was part of an unsuccessful suicide squeeze and was tagged out easily between third and home, ending the rally for the home team. Rider added three runs late to account for the final margin, 12-8.
The second game saw VMI paced by Roberts, who went four-for-four with a home run, as well as Morley, who went three-for-five. Starter Chris Henderson (0-2) took the loss, while Mike Thomas (1-0) got the win in relief of starter Kris Brown.
VMI baseball will return to action Sunday, as the Keydets host Rider in the finale of the four-game weekend series. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Gray-Minor Stadium.
