MACON, Ga. – VMI Baseball (20-19, 4-5 SoCon) eclipsed 20 wins on the year after an 11-5 rout over Mercer University (18-16, 3-6 SoCon) at OrthoGeorgia Park Sunday afternoon to secure its second-straight Southern Conference series victory.
The Keydets posted back-to-back 11-run games against the Bears, the second most runs Mercer has allowed in back-to-back games all season. This marks the first series win over the Bears since 2021 and the second ever in Macon, Georgia. VMI passes Mercer in the league standings and now sits alone at number six ahead of next weekend's rivalry series.
Key Stats
- Every Keydet in the starting lineup got on base at least once while eight out of the nine starters earned a hit
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Will Riley tossed a gem in his fifth win on the mound, going eight innings while striking out seven and allowing just one run
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Justin Starke,
Brett Cook, and
Grayson Fitzwater recorded three hits apiece
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Trey Morgan and Starke led the Keydets with three runs each
- Fitzwater added three RBI with Cook and
Ty Swaim right behind with two RBI respectively
- Starke powered his 11th home run of 2024
- VMI drew 11 walks with Swaim logging three individually
- Four Keydets stole a base
Scoring Summary
- VMI struck first in the opening frame after a Swaim two-RBI single followed by a Fitzwater RBI double
- Mercer tacked on a run in the second but the Keydets returned the favor after Swaim scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-1
- In the fourth inning, VMI added some leverage with a bases-loaded hit from Fitzwater right before Starke swiped home on another wild pitch to extend the lead to 6-1
- Starke continued his good fortunes with a solo shot in the fifth inning
- Leading 7-1, VMI's offense continued to pour it on as Fitzwater got his third hit and RBI in the eighth before
Owen Prince tallied an RBI ground out and Cook drove in a pair in the ninth
- Bears woke up late in the ninth with a two-out grand slam to cut the deficit, but it was too late as VMI shut the door on Mercer
Next Up for the Keydets
- Keydets return to Gray-Minor Stadium Wednesday for a midweek matchup against James Madison
- Broadcast will be live on ESPN+
- VMI lost the previous battle to the Dukes, 8-4, in March
- Keydets look to break a six-game winless streak against James Madison
