LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball picked up its seventh home victory after taking both games of Saturday's doubleheader against Maryland Eastern Shore at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium.
The Keydets (7-1) record the series sweep over the Hawks after winning game one, 7-3, and run-ruling UMES in game two, 14-4. Five of VMI's seven victories came by mercy rule, with two against UMES this weekend.
Game 1 Key Stats
- VMI tallied seven runs off five hits with six RBIs.
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Cole Cook hit his third home run of the series.
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Thomas Conrad came off the bench and posted two hits and two RBIs.
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Trace Monroe dazzled out of the bullpen, tossing five innings, allowing just one run, and striking out three for his second win.
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Hunter Sipe got out of a first-inning jam and cruised the rest of the way in relief, throwing four shutout innings.
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Grayson Fitzwater and
Max Perry scored two runs apiece.
- The Keydets swiped eight bags.
Game 1 Scoring Summary
- UMES scored first, going up 1-0 in the first inning.
- Cook delivered a laser over the leftfield fence in the bottom half to tie it at 1-1.
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Easton Ogle hit a sacrifice fly to give VMI the lead in the fourth inning.
- The Hawks returned fire with another run in the fifth inning.
- Fitzwater launched his first home run of the season deep to right field, a solo shot that helped the Keydets regain the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.
- However, UMES had one more cross the plate in the seventh to tie it again, 3-3.
- In the bottom portion of the seventh inning, VMI put up a four-run frame, starting with a bases-loaded RBI walk from Perry, who later scored on a wild pitch, and a two-RBI double by Conrad.
Game 2 Key Stats
- VMI scored 14 runs off 11 hits.
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Buddy Baker recorded his first collegiate win, tossing 3.2 innings in relief with six punchouts.
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Bradley Garner went three-for-five with four RBIs.
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Thomas Conrad,
Grayson Fitzwater,
Seth Buchanan, and
Owen Prince each had two RBIs.
- Prince and Buchanan scored three times each.
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Cole Cook and Prince walked three times.
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Roberto Velasquez put together two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Game 2 Scoring Summary
- VMI's big inning came in the opening frame, plating nine to go up big early. It started with Garner's RBI single and continued with
Max Perry's sacrifice fly, putting the Keydets up 2-0. Conrad and Buchanan each doubled in two runs, extending the lead to 6-0. After Fitzwater walked in one run, Garner singled again, scoring two more runs to cap off the inning.
- UMES barrelled a few pitches in the second inning to cut the deficit to just six.
- The Keydets countered in the bottom half of the second inning with four more runs, after two walks and a hit by pitch with the bases loaded scored three, and Garner's third RBI single put VMI up 13-3.
- A Prince RBI single made it an 11-run game in the third inning.
- The Hawks hit a solo home run in the fifth, but Velasquez shut them down thereafter.
Next up for the Keydets
The Keydets continue the homestand next weekend with a four-game series against Stonehill. Friday's game will begin at 3 p.m., with first pitch of Saturday's doubleheader starting at 1 p.m., and the matinee on Sunday at 1 p.m.
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
