A two-run single by Peyton Maddox turned the game around in the eighth inning, and Nathan Eaton pitched 2 2/3 hitless innings to close out the contest as the VMI Keydets defeated the UNCG Spartans, 8-7, in the finale of a SoCon series contested Sunday in Greensboro, N.C.
The Keydets (10-11, 1-2 SoCon) fell behind 7-5 after two UNCG (16-6, 2-1) runs in the seventh, but Matt Dunlevy and Jake Huggins started the inning with back to back singles. Pinch-hitter Nathan Loyd drove in a run with an infield out, cutting the lead to one, and two batters later, Maddox singled to right to score Loyd and Eaton and account for the final margin.
UNCG put two on in the ninth on a pair of walks, but Eaton struck out Josh Madole to preserve the win.
Eaton (1-0) picked up the win, as he allowed just two baserunners in 2 2/3 frames, both coming on ninth-inning walks. Jack Maynard (4-2) allowed four runs (three earned) in two innings of relief and took the loss in a game decided by the bullpens, as both Dan Loats of UNCG and Kyle Staats of VMI were gone by the end of the fourth.
The teams were tied 3-3 headed to the bottom of the fourth, when UNCG scored twice to take a 5-3 lead. The game was then scoreless until the seventh, when a Jacob Jaye sacrifice fly and an error allowed two runs to score and tied the game, 5-5. The Spartans got a pair in the bottom half, setting the stage for the decisive eighth-inning Keydet rally.
The top five hitters in the VMI lineup all had multi-hit games, led by Matt Pita’s three hits. Eaton reached base four times in five plate appearances as well, while Jaye and Maddox drove in two runs apiece.
VMI baseball will return to action Tuesday, playing host to Radford at 4 p.m.
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