LEXINGTON, Va. – Liberty's Josh Richardson faced just three hitters over the minimum en route to a complete game shutout, as the Liberty Flames defeated the VMI Keydets, 4-0, in Big South baseball action Friday night at Gray-Minor Stadium in Lexington, Va. The game was the opener of a three-game conference series and, at one hour, 51 minutes, was the shortest nine-inning game in Gray-Minor Stadium history.
Richardson (2-2), making just his third career start, was staked to a 4-0 lead after an inning and a half, and went on to face the minimum through seven innings, allowing just one hit that was erased on a caught stealing. The Keydets (19-27, 5-11 Big South) mustered three baserunners over the final two innings and put two on with two out in the ninth, but could not avert the shutout as Rob Dickinson grounded into a force play to end the game. The junior right-hander wound up with eight strikeouts against no walks in his first career complete game.
Jordan Tarsovich led the way for VMI, notching two of the three hits off Richardson in a 2 for 4 night. Matt Winn had the other hit for the Keydets, while Dickinson's streak of 27 straight games reaching base came to an end, thanks to a 0 for 4 game. On the mound, Connor Bach took the loss, surrendering four runs on eight hits in seven innings to drop to 2-4.
Liberty's offense was led by Bryan Aanderud, who went 3 for 5 with a RBI.
Liberty (24-20, 9-7 BSC) jumped out to the early lead against Bach. Ashton Perritt walked, but one out later, was caught stealing. That was a fortunate event for the Keydets, as the next LU batter, Trey Wimmer, hit a 2-1 pitch over the left center field wall for a solo home run, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.
That margin grew in the second, when Alex Close led off with a single. One out later, Jake Kimble doubled to left, scoring a run, and Dalton Britt followed with a triple to make it 3-0. An Aanderud RBI single capped the scoring at 4-0, Liberty.
Bach settled down and would allow just three hits over the next five innings, but the Keydet offense could not find traction against Richardson. VMI got its first baserunner in the fourth, when Tarsovich singled to right on the first pitch, but one out later, he was caught stealing. The Keydets then had Matt Winn lead off the eighth with a single, but he got no farther.
Tarsovich had a two-out double in the ninth and Eric Mayers reached on an error, but that set up the game-ending groundout to conclude the ballgame.
The three total hits were the fewest by VMI since May 12, 2012 against Charleston Southern, while the game time of one hour, 51 minutes marked the first nine-inning game in the seven-year history of Gray-Minor Stadium to be clocked at under two hours.
“I thought Connor Bach did a nice job settling down after those first two innings, and he got us deep into the ballgame,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “You have to tip your cap to Josh Richardson, he pitched very well. I thought we hit some balls hard that they caught, but we could not get anything going consecutively against him all night. Jordan Tarsovich had a good night, and I thought Brandon Angus, Matt Winn and Rob Dickinson all hit balls hard. They just didn't fall, and that's just baseball.”
VMI baseball returns to action Saturday, when the Keydets and Flames wrap up their Big South series with a doubleheader. Game one starts at 2 p.m.
