GREENSBORO, N.C. – VMI Baseball watched its lead dwindle and become undone as UNC Greensboro escaped the series opener at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
The Keydets (27-18, 3-10 SoCon) were rolling early, but the Spartans (18-28, 4-12 SoCon) posted a big sixth inning to squeeze past in a tight 7-6 final.
Key Stats
- VMI tallied six runs off nine hits.
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Benjamin Cardone hit his first career home run and ended the night with a pair of hits, a team-high two RBIs, and one steal.
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Cole Raile posted a pair of hits, including his 14th long ball of the year, with a team-best three runs scored and a stolen base. Raile's hitting streak moves to 10 games.
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Justin Spiegel threw a season-high six strikeouts.
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Ayden Schnarrs and
Seth Buchanan recorded one RBI apiece.
Scoring Summary
First Inning: The Spartans struck first on a sacrifice fly.
Second Inning: VMI took the lead after an RBI groundout and a Cardone RBI single.
Fourth Inning: Raile's solo shot made it 3-1.
Fifth Inning: Cardone sent a laser over the left field wall to extend the lead to three. However, UNCG posted two runs in the bottom half to get back within one.
Sixth Inning: Despite VMI plating one more off Buchanan's single, the Spartans scored four times to flip the script and make it 7-5.
Eighth Inning: Schnarrs beat out the throw on an infield hit to score Raile and make it a one-run game.
Next up for the Keydets
The Keydets look to bounce back in Saturday's matchup, with first pitch being adjusted to 4 p.m., a later start than the original 2 p.m. scheduled time.
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
