LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI baseball team split a Southern Conference doubleheader Friday with Mercer University, winning game one 11-5 but dropping the nightcap 17-16 from Gray-Minor Stadium.
VMI (6-4 SoCon; 21-18 overall) matches its win total in conference play from last year, with 10 SoCon games remaining on the schedule.
How it happened:
VMI opened a 9-3 lead in the first game and got solid pitching to take the opener. The second game saw four lead changes and the Bears take a 17-11 edge in the eighth inning. VMI plated five in the bottom of the eighth and had the tying run called out at home to end the frame.
Trey Morgan singled with two outs in the ninth for his fifth hit of the contest, but a groundout ended the game.
Game 1 Highlights:
*Juniors
Cole Garrett and
Cole Jenkins were each 3-4 with home runs and three RBI. Garrett also doubled and scored three times, while Jenkins came home to score twice.
*
Brett Cook homered, walked and had three RBI.
*
Zac Morris singled and walked.
*
Nathan Light earned the win, throwing 6 1/3 innings, scattering 10 hits and one walk with four strikeouts to up his record to 3-1.
*
Nathan Hawley allowed just one hit in 1 2/3 innings of relief and Morgan threw a scoreless ninth.
*Bradley Frye was 3-4 for Mercer
Game 2 Highlights:
*Mercer went ahead 4-0 after two but a six-run second inning gave VMI a 6-4 edge. A six-run fourth from Mercer and a five-run fifth for the Keydets saw the lead change twice more. A seven-run eighth inning proved to be just enough to give Mercer the win.
*VMI had 20 base hits and seven players with multiple hits. Mercer had four home runs while the Keydets hit three.
*Morgan was 5-6 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and three RBI.
*
Justin Starke went 3-6 with a double and
Ty Swaim was also 3-6.
*Morris was 2-5 with a double and a home run and Garrett homered again in the second game.
*Jenkins was 2-5 with a double and
Jimmy Koza and
Grayson Fitzwater also had two hits.
*
Jack Thompson threw a career-high 3 1/3 innings in relief, allowing just two hits, one run and no walks with two strikeouts.
*
Roberto Velasquez threw 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief late to keep it a one-run game.
*Ty Dalley was 3-6 with two home runs and six RBI for Mercer (25-15/7-4 SoCon).
Next Time:
The two teams will play the rubber match of the three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m.
