CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Despite scoring 20 runs Sunday, the VMI baseball team was outscored by Western Carolina University in both ends of a Southern Conference doubleheader, 9-8 and 16-12. Red-shirt freshman Justin Starke had seven hits in the two games, with four runs, six RBI, a double and a home run.

In the opener, VMI took a 2-0 lead in the second off a two-run single from Callen Nuccio. After a Catamount run in the bottom of the second, Cole Garrett blasted a two-run home run to left field in the third to push the lead to 4-1. Trey Morgan, Starke and Zac Morris each had run-scoring singles in the fourth to extend the lead to 7-1 before VCU countered with four in the bottom of the fifth and three in the seventh to take an 8-7 lead. Garrett hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game in the eighth, but WCU scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.

Starke was 3-5 with two runs, and Morgan, Garrett and Morris each had two hits. Nuccio had a hit and two walks while Cody Warner had a hit and a walk.

Pascanel Ferreras was 5-5 for Western Carolina.

The Keydets led 7-0 in the second inning of the second game but WCU took a 10-7 lead after five. VMI rallied back with a single run each in the sixth and seventh frames, and three in the eighth to go ahead 12-10. The Catamounts finally put the game out of reach with six in the bottom of the eighth.

Starke was 4-6 with five RBI in the nightcap and Morris had two hits. Warner had a triple, three walks and scored four times and Morgan had a hit and three walks. Will Knight had two walks and a hit and Ty Swaim drove in two.

Daniel Walsh and Zack Ketterman each had three hits for Western Carolina (18-7/6-2).  

VMI (6-20/2-10) is scheduled to host Mercer University next weekend in another SoCon series.