LEXINGTON, Va. ? Gardner-Webb twice jumped out to early four-run leads in scoring a doubleheader sweep against VMI on Saturday afternoon in Big South action at Gray-Minor Stadium. The Bulldogs (17-14, 6-6 Big South) held on for an 8-5 win in game one, then scored a 15-4 win in the finale over the Keydets (13-20, 7-7 Big South).
“It was tough playing catch-up in both games today,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “In the second game, we did a good job to rally and cut the lead to 6-4, but then you can't give up five in the next inning. It's tough to hit down 11 runs early. Both staffs had to go to the bullpen really early, and their guys got it done. You know, in one game, you empty the bench in your favor, the next time it goes the other way. We'll just continue to work hard and get better every day.”
Devin Campbell (2-1) worked eight-plus innings for GWU in game one, surrendering five runs, four earned, on seven hits. After giving up a three-run double to A.J. Yoder in the third, Campbell struck out the next two batters to escape the inning. After a leadoff walk in the fourth, Campbell then retired the next 11 batters he faced.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, put up four runs off of Keydet starter Chris Henderson (2-4) in the first inning. Henderson later surrendered a home run to Daniel Cooke in the fourth and an RBI double in the fifth by Jon Ahearn, the latter of which chased the right-hander from the contest. Henderson was tagged for six runs, five earned, on seven hits through 4.2 innings, leaving the game trailing, 6-4.
GWU tacked on two more runs off Keydet reliever Andrew Deal in the sixth, as Justin Loyd and Kurt Fulginiti posted back-to-back RBI knocks. With the visitors up 8-4, VMI stranded runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings before rallying in the ninth. Jacob Morley reached on a leadoff walk, chasing Campbell from the game. Jonathan Ban then came on and surrendered a one-out walk to Graham Sullivan. Two batters later, Justin Topping singled into left field, as Morley ended up scoring on a fielding error in the outfield, bringing the margin to 8-5. The tying run then stepped to the plate, however, Tanner Biagini struck out to end the contest and knot the weekend series at a game apiece.
Fulginiti went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for GWU, while Loyd and Ahearn each drove in a pair for the visitors. VMI got multiple hits from Sam Roberts, Justin Topping and Biagini, while Yoder drove home three Keydet runs.
In game two, the Bulldogs plated four in the second off of starter Adam Kruithof (0-3). In the frame, Tyler Johnson, the eighth hitter in the lineup, had a two-run double, before O.J. McFarland, the Bulldogs' ninth hitter, plated another with a two-bagger. Later in the frame, McFarland stole home, bringing the margin to 4-0.
Ahearn's two-run single in the third put the visitors up 6-0 before VMI rallied in the bottom of the inning. Consecutive hits from Topping, Biagini and Yoder brought home three runs, then two batters later, Alex Haitsuka plated another with his first hit of the day.
With the score at 6-4, the Bulldogs broke the game open with a five-run fourth off of reliever Matt Edwards. Base knocks by Cooke and Loyd plated single runs, before Fulginiti's three-run home run put the visitors out in front 11-4. A four-run fifth capped the game's scoring, as Johnson and McFarland hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the frame. At that point, the bottom two hitters in the GWU lineup were a combined 5-for-6 with three doubles, two home runs and five RBI.
The Keydets, meanwhile, never mounted a comeback against Bulldog reliever Brett Stackhouse (3-3). The left-hander surrendered a walk to the second batter he faced in the third, then retired the next 11 batters he faced. On the day, Stackhouse worked 5.2 shutout innings, allowing one hit while striking out seven Keydets.
Late standouts on the mound for VMI were Michael Devine, who surrendered just an unearned run on 2.2 innings, while Sam Roberts retired the final six batters he faced, allowing one hit in two innings, striking out three.
Yoder went 3-for-4 at the plate for VMI in game two, while Biagini was 2-for-4 with an RBI double. The visitors were paced by Johnson and McFarland at the bottom of the lineup, while Fulginiti drove home three for the Bulldogs.
The Keydets return to action on Tuesday afternoon, traveling to Harrisonburg to take on James Madison at 4 p.m.
