LEXINGTON, Va. - The Quinnipiac Bobcats hit five home runs and overcame two-run deficits in both the eighth and ninth innings en route to an 8-5, 11-inning victory over the VMI Keydets in NCAA baseball action Friday in Lexington, Va. The game was the opener of a three-game series.
The Keydets (5-7) took a 3-1 lead on a Tyler Tharp sixth-inning home run, and Josh Winder carried that lead into the eighth. With two out, Mike Palladino hit a two-run, game-tying homer to left to knot the score at 3.
Matt Pita untied the game in the bottom half with a solo shot and Peyton Maddox added a RBI single, but a two-run home run by Brian Moskey tied the game again, 5-5. In extra innings, Liam Scafariello and Matthew Batten went back to back to lead off the 11th against Mason Adamson as QU (6-5) went on the victory.
The winning pitcher in relief was Andrew Workman (2-0), who allowed two hits in 2 2/3 relief innings. Mike Davis pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save. Adamson (0-1) took the loss, as he was charged with three runs (two earned) in 1 2/3 innings.
Neither starter figured in the decision, as Robbie Hitt was removed after five innings of three-hit baseball, in which he allowed just one run. Winder was charged with five runs on seven hits in 8 1/3 frames.
VMI was led offensively by Tharp, Matt Dunlevy and Will Malbon, who had two hits apiece. Malbon equaled his entire total of multi-hit games from 2016 with his sixth of the season. Moskey and Joseph Burns had two hits apiece for Quinnipiac.
VMI baseball returns to action Saturday, when the Keydets and Quinnipiac resume their series at 2 p.m.
Quinnipiac 8, VMI 5 (March 10, 2017 at Lexington, Va.)
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QU 001 000 022 03 - 8 10 3 (6-5)
VMI 001 002 020 00 - 5 10 2 (5-7)
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QU - Hitt; Hamilton (6); Enns (8); Workman (8); Davis (11); Cruz and Vulgamore.
VMI - Winder; Adamson (9); Tremblay (11) and Maddox.
W - Workman (2-0) S - Davis (2) L - Adamson (0-1)
HR QU - Palladino (1); Scafariello (6); Batten (1); Moskey (1); Gibson (1).
HR VMI - Pita (2); Tharp (4)
T - 2:59 A - 109
