SPARTANBURG, S.C. - No. 29 VMI produced its best offensive output against a conference foe this season to sweep the weekend series from Gardner-Webb, defeating the Runnin' Bulldogs 16-10 Sunday afternoon at Harley Park.  For VMI (28-5, 10-2 Big South), the win marked the team's second consecutive Big South road sweep, while GWU (15-16, 5-4 Big South) lost their fourth straight contest.

The 16 runs and 19 hits put up by the Keydets Sunday were the most by VMI in a Big South game since defeating GWU, 21-3, last April 10 in Lexington.  Leading the hit parade were Alex Haitsuka (4 for 5, HR, 5 RBIs), Cory Spangenberg (4 for 6, HR, 3 RBIs) and Graham Sullivan (4 for 6, 2 RBIs.)  Jacob Morley hit a pair of two-run doubles from the eighth-spot in the order, while Rob Dickinson scored three runs while going 1 for 4.

"I was really proud of our offense today; it's fun to watch," said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry, whose team has won eight straight for the third time this season.  "Yesterday it was Sammy and Jordan, today it was Cory and Graham at the top and then Jake and Alex at the bottom of the lineup that produced.  I was really pleased with the way we played and the way we competed, especially coming off three of our last four weekends on the road and playing the way we have been."

Sam Roberts (5-1) worked five innings to earn the win.  He was charged with four runs on eight hits, though just two of the runs were earned.  Reliever Jeremy Brown allowed three runs, one earned, in his two innings, while Adam Kruithof made just his third appearance of the season, retiring all five batters he faced, one on strikes.

"Our bullpen did a nice job," said Ikenberry.  "Adam Kruithof, in particular, did an unbelievable job after not seeing the mound for a few weeks.  He got the final five outs, and that's what we needed in a game like this."

The Bulldogs started a freshman right-handed pitcher for the third straight game, and each time he could not escape the fourth inning.  On Sunday, Emilio Pagan allowed nine runs on 10 hits in 3.1 innings, before Brock Wilson and Jeff Howell combined to work the next 3.2 innings, allowing seven runs.  Adam Izokovic, the nation's leader in opponents' batting average, then came in and worked two scoreless innings, allowing harmless singles to Spangenberg and Jordan Ballard.

Aaron Miller, Kurt Fulginiti and Adam McFarland each had three hits for GWU, with Fulginiti plating four runs, three of which came on an eighth-inning home run.  The Bulldogs had only five RBIs in the contest, thanks to a passed ball and three VMI errors.

"It was a pretty ugly game today," said Ikenberry.  "We went out and put up a five-spot early, we were swinging the bats well.  We had to keep grinding it out, because we were doing some uncharacteristic things that we haven't done all year.  We gave them three or four runs in the middle innings on errors, and then our offense locked in.  Alex Haitsuka has been catching a lot of games for us, and for him to come out and go 4 for 5 is unbelievable."

VMI took a first-inning lead for the third game in a row, plating five runs.  The first came on a Sullivan double, followed by a two-run single from Haitsuka and a two-run two-bagger for Morley.  GWU scored two in the first and one in the second to cut the lead to 5-3, before VMI's bats picked back up in the third.  Sullivan and Biagini led off the inning with singles, before Topping plated one run a single and Morley struck for another two-run double, pushing VMI's lead to 8-3.

GWU scratched out one run in the third but left two men stranded, while the Keydet offense went back to work.  A leadoff home run from Spangenberg and a one-out single form Sullivan chased Pagan from the game in the fourth, before VMI struck for three more in the fifth.  Two more runs came across in the sixth on Haitsuka's home run, as VMI enjoyed a 14-4 advantage before the Bulldogs scored three runs on a wild pitch and a pair of errors in the bottom of the sixth.

Two doubles and a groundout produced VMI's final runs of the day, a two-run rally in the seventh.  Fulginiti's three-run homer in the eighth finished the scoring, as Izokovic and Kruithof were the lone hurlers on the day to not allow runs.

VMI welcomes No. 4 Virginia to Gray-Minor Stadium Wednesday evening, with first pitch set for 6 p.m.  Fans can watch the game on the Big South Network, available at www.BigSouthSports.com, or listen to the game on the VMI Sports Network at www.VMIKeydets.com or on Lexington's Fox Sports Radio 1450 AM.

Keydet Quick Hits

• The Keydets are 8-1 in road Big South games this season.
• VMI has a home run in 28 of its 33 games in 2010.
• Sunday's game is VMI's first win this season when allowing double-digit runs.
• VMI has won each of its eight weekend series, including six via sweeps.