LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI Baseball team trailed NJIT 5-2 entering the bottom half of the eighth inning in Friday's series opener at Lamore Field, rallying to score three runs in the frame which ultimately set up an
Owen Prince RBI single to give the Keydets a thrilling 6-5 win.
Marcus Van Alstine came on in the ninth, striking out two batters to get in line for the win. The walk-off is the first of the season for VMI, and the first on Lamore Field. The Keydets improve to 4-6, while the Highlanders drop to 1-6.
Key Stats
- Prince goes 4-for-5 with two runs scored and the game-winning RBI
-
Ty Swaim,
Justin Starke,
Cole Jenkins,
Kazuya Jordan all register runs scored
- Jenkins,
Trey Morgan,
Cole Garrett,
Grayson Fitzwater all total one RBI apiece
- Morgan tosses 7.0 innings with six hits and two earned runs
-
Jack Thompson throws 1.0 innings, Van Alstine faced four batters
- Swaim and
Jimmy Koza each record two hits
How it Happened
- NJIT stranded a runner, Swaim and Prince would single and ultimately be brought in by a fielder's choice and a pickoff error
- Highlander strike with solo home runs in the third and fourth to even the score (2-2)
- Neither team would strike in the middle innings, with NJIT taking the lead in the seventh (3-2)
- The Highlanders manufactured three more runs as the rain began to fall
- Prince and Starke reach base, VMI loads bases after an error
- Morgan single and Garrett sacrifice fly makes the score 5-4, as Fitzwater brings in the tying run with a groundout to first
- In the bottom half of the inning, Koza singled and Jordan came in to pinch run, moving into scoring position with a steal
- Swaim laid down a bunt single and stole second, leading to a Prince single up the middle to record the walk-off win
What's on Deck
The Keydets return to Lamore Field Saturday, with a doubleheader scheduled for 1:00 p.m. And 4:30 p.m.