GREENVILLE, S.C. – The VMI baseball team was knocked out of the 2022 Southern Conference Tournament 4-1 Wednesday by Western Carolina University from Fluor Field in a first-round matchup.  

VMI sophomore catcher Cole Garrett nearly made it a 1-0 game in the second with a double that was two feet short of clearing the 30-foot left-field fence. The Keydets left two runners on base in the first and second innings.

Seth Graves hit a run-scoring double in the bottom of the second to put the Catamounts ahead 1-0.  

A great throw from centerfielder Trey Morgan to Garrett nailed a WCU runner at home plate in the fifth to keep the score 1-0. Western Carolina scored three in the sixth, aided by an error that brought two runners home with two outs.

Red-shirt sophomore shortstop Zac Morris drilled a solo home run to cut the WCU lead to 4-1 in the eighth, his 10th longball of the season.

Freshman Tyler Kaltreider got the start for VMI and allowed only one run in 4.1 innings, scattering five hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Will Riley came on in the seventh and threw 2.2 scoreless and hitless innings, striking out two.  

Morgan had a triple and a walk for VMI (16-40) while Garrett had a double and a walk.

Zebby Matthews tossed 6 1/3 innings of relief for the Catamounts (26-29-1) to earn the win, allowing just two hits, one walk and one earned run with seven strikeouts.