LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball (16-15, 2-4 SoCon) get back over .500 after winning both ends of the doubleheader over Virginia State University (9-17) Monday afternoon at Gray-Minor Stadium.
The Keydets scored a combined 31 runs after taking down the Trojans easily in game one, 16-2, in seven innings and stealing game two, 15-7. With the pair of victories, VMI extends its winning streak to three, winning four of the last five.
Game 1 Key Stats
- VMI swiped 11 bags by seven different Keydets
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Justin Starke went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, earning three runs and two RBI, and was a double shy of hitting for the cycle
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Owen Prince also went a perfect 3-for-3, knocking in a team-high four RBI
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Jed Barrett stroked a three-run home run, his first of 2024
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Owen Prince and
Justin Starke also nabbed home runs
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Owen Prince stole a season-high three bases
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Roberto Velasquez recorded his first win on the bump, going 4.2 innings and allowing just one run with four strikeouts
- Keydets posted six extra base hits
- Second time VMI has won in seven innings this season
Game 1 Scoring Summary
- VMI got the scoring going in the third after a
Ty Swaim double and a sacrifice fly by
Brett Cook added a pair of runs
- Keydets got another run in the third after
Grayson Fitzwater scored on a wild pitch
- Virginia State got one back after an RBI single in the fourth but it was later that inning when VMI's bats ignited
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Justin Starke smashed a loud two-run homer to start the surge
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Owen Prince kept the runs rolling with a two-RBI single right before
Jimmy Koza doubled to score another Keydet to make it 8-1
- Ending the fourth-inning dominance was
Kazuya Jordan who tacked on a sacrifice fly RBI
- It was not long before VMI added more insurance, scoring four runs in the fifth inning
- Keydets took advantage of some Trojan miscues with
Justin Starke successfully stealing home before
Grayson Fitzwater later scored on a throwing error
- VMI ended the fifth frame with a long
Owen Prince shot over the right field fence for his first home run of 2024 to add another pair of runs, extending the lead to 13-1
- Right after Virginia State responded with a run, the Keydets put the nail in the coffin after
Jed Barrett went yard in the sixth, scoring three more runs
Game 2 Key Stats
- VMI snagged its second-straight double-digit steal game, taking 11 bags
- Keydets had five extra base hits
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Caden Plummer notched his second win after going four innings with seven strikeouts in relief
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Trey Morgan tacked on a pair of doubles with two RBI
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Justin Starke continued his dominance, going 3-for-4 at the dish with four RBI
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Ty Swaim and
Ryan Peterson added two hits apiece
- Keydets drew 10 walks
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Kazuya Jordan and
Trey Morgan accounted for eight of the 15 runs scored for VMI
Game 2 Scoring Summary
- It was not an easy route to victory for the Keydets as the Trojans took an early 2-0 lead
- VMI retaliated with a pair of runs from a
Ty Swaim sacrifice fly and a wild pitch that scored
Justin Starke
- After the Trojans took a 4-2 lead in the fourth, the Keydets recovered and took their first lead of the game in the fifth inning
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Justin Starke drove in one run with a double before
Trey Morgan tied the game on a wild pitch
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Ty Swaim grounded in a run to take the advantage, 5-4
- VMI extended their lead in the sixth thanks to a
Trey Morgan double and a
Ty Swaim single that added three runs
- Despite Virginia State scoring one more time in the seventh, the Keydets tacked on seven unscored runs
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Trey Morgan doubled in one run before
Justin Starke singled in the other to make it 9-6
- In the eighth frame,
Owen Prince recorded another RBI before
Cole Raile scored a pair off a double and
Justin Starke ended his evening with a two-RBI single
Next Up for the Keydets
- Keydets take a trip back to Norfolk State University for a midweek game on Tuesday
- VMI and Norfolk State have battled twice this season with the Keydets winning both matchups
- February's game ended with an 11-9 win while March's matchup also went in favor of VMI, 14-4
- VMI leads the all-time series, 23-1, and have won the last three matchups
- Keydets are 7-1 on the road against the Spartans
