LEXINGTON, Va. - Cory Spangenberg hit a walk-off home run to give VMI a 5-3 win in game one before the Keydets slugged five round trippers on their way to a 14-4 victory in game two in a doubleheader sweep over La Salle in non-conference baseball action Saturday at Gray-Minor Stadium. 

The wins improved VMI to 13-1 on the year, continuing the program's best-ever start.  The Explorers, meanwhile, fell to 1-10 with the losses. 

Spangenberg led the way offensively, going 3 for 4 with a double and a stolen base in game one, along with his two-run game-ender.  He followed that up with a 1 for 2 outing in game two, walking and stealing another base in the win.  Jordan Ballard collected his second two-homer game in three days with his four-RBI performance in game two, tying Sam Roberts for the team lead with seven homers after Roberts hit another one while going 3 for 7 in the twinbill.

The first game began as a pitcher's duel contested by La Salle's Cody Weiss and VMI's Adam Lopez.  Weiss surrendered just one hit through the first four innings, a first-inning single by Spangenberg.  The Explorers drew first blood, breaking a string of seven consecutive batters retired by Lopez with a leadoff single in the fourth.  Jon Gyles followed with an RBI triple tucked just inside of the third-base bag, before Gyles scored on a Marc Schoch groundout in the following at bat.  The visitors went up 3-0 in the fifth, when Kevin Jones hit a one-out double and scored on a wild pitch following a balk.

The Keydet offense showed signs of life in the fifth, when Rob Dickinson and pinch-hitter Andrew Montague hit back-to-back doubles to crack the scoreboard.  A right-field single by Chase Worthington made it a one-run contest, and though a two-out double by Spangenberg put two runners on base, they stayed stranded as Weiss escaped the inning with the lead.

La Salle rallied in the sixth, when a one-out walk spelled the end of the day for Lopez.  John Garrett came on and retired the first batter, only to see the next hitter reach base after striking out on a wild pitch.  A walk then loaded the bases, but Garrett induced a groundout to leave the bases stranded and keep the momentum brewing in the home dugout.

Graham Sullivan engineered a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth before Ballard was hit by a pitch.  That proved to be the last batter Weiss faced, as he was lifted in favor of Pat Christensen (0-2).  The reliever managed to retire each of the next three batters he faced, but gave up the lead on a sacrifice fly hit by Dickinson, sending the game to the decisive seventh inning all square.

Closer Michael Devine (2-0) took the mound for the Keydets in the seventh.  Jones led off the inning by reaching on a catcher's interference, but was left stranded when Devine recorded three straight groundouts to give VMI a walk-off opportunity.

In the bottom of the seventh, Roberts managed a one-out single up the middle, before Spangenberg connected for a first-pitch home run, clearing the right-center field wall for VMI's first walk-off homer since Alex Haitsuka did so against Rider on March 6, 2009.

Lopez ended up working 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out six.  Weiss, meanwhile, worked five-plus innings, surrendering his three runs on five hits, punching out a pair.

"In game one, I have to tip my hat to Cody Weiss, he did a nice job of locating his fastball," said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry.  "He's one of the best arms we've seen all year.  Adam Lopez threw well too, and I was really pleased with our bullpen coming in and getting five outs.  I can't speak highly enough of the final at bats we had.  Sammy had a one-out single, and Cory hit his first career walk-off home run.  In a seven-inning game like that, it was really anybody's ballgame because their guy was throwing so well, we just did a nice job of putting some good at bats together late in the game."

Game two played out in a different manner, with each team posting big innings early on.  The visitors jumped out 3-0 in the first, when Brendan Norton, Jeff Flax and John Malloy hit consecutive doubles to start the game.  The last two drove home runs, while a Brian Meagher groundout accounted for the final RBI.

VMI responded in the bottom-half, as six consecutive batters reached base with one out.  Sullivan plated Spangenberg with a double down the left field-line, while Dickinson drove home two more with his two-bagger down the right field-line.  Haitsuka dropped down a squeeze bunt to score another, while Justin Topping's deep fly ball in right-field foul territory went for a sacrifice fly, as Dickinson tagged on the play to put VMI up, 5-3.

Keydet starter Coby Cowgill settled in to record a scoreless second inning, but VMI went back to work in the bottom-half.  Despite starter Shane Petrellis leaving after just one inning of work, the Keydets tacked on three runs off of reliever Eric Van Wyk.  Those came on a two-run homer by Biagini and a solo shot from Ballard, pushing VMI in front, 8-3.

The Explorers cut the margin to four in the third inning, when Malloy led off with a knock into right field, then scored on a double play hit into by Meagher.  VMI made up for it in the third, as Haitsuka hit a leadoff home run before Roberts drove in Topping with his infield single, going up 10-4.

The bats settled down in the middle frames, until VMI erupted with a four-run sixth.  Roberts led off with his seventh homer of the season, while Ballard followed suit later in the inning with his three-run shot.

La Salle, meanwhile, had no answer for reliever Jason Farley (1-1).  The left-hander allowed just one hit in four scoreless innings, becoming the ninth different VMI pitcher to earn a victory this season.

"They did a nice job of jumping on us in game two," continued Ikenberry.  "We came back and scored five in the first inning to respond and got some good swings off their bullpen.  Jason Farley came in and really shut things down for us.  It was good to see him come back out strong today.  I'm really proud of the days Jordan and Tanner had, too.  I was glad to see us put some good swings together in game two.  We're traditionally not a very good doubleheader team, but we did a nice job today of controlling things."

The Keydets and Explorers wrap up their four-game series Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.  The contest will be broadcast on the VMI Sports Network, which can be found at www.VMIKeydets.com. 

Keydet Quick Hits

• Game two was the second time this season VMI has had five home runs this season. The Keydets entered the day ranked second in the country in homers, now with 33. The school record stands at 56, set in 1985.
• Freshman Cory Spangenberg has nine stolen bases (in 10 attempts) in the last eight games.
• Senior Jordan Ballard now ranks seventh (tied) on the VMI charts with 30 career home runs, while his slugging percentage of .557 places him fourth.
• Senior Tanner Biagini's 14-game hitting streak came to an end in game one, matching the longest of his career.