The VMI Keydets scored in three of the first four innings and used timely pitching to hold on for a 3-2 win over The Citadel Bulldogs, completing a doubleheader and series sweep with the victory in the nightcap of Sunday’s SoCon baseball twinbill. The doubleheader sweep was VMI’s third of the month after also sweeping Gardner-Webb and Furman earlier in April, and the series sweep was the first time VMI had swept a conference opponent on the road since April of 2011.
For the third straight game, VMI (15-22, 8-7 SoCon) jumped ahead in the first inning, this time on a sacrifice fly by Matt Winn. Brandon Barbery would not relinquish that lead, although The Citadel (18-24, 3-12) did pull within one at 3-2 in the sixth. Taylor Edens relieved Barbery with a runner on in the seventh and would allow just a single to close out the victory.
Offensively, VMI was paced by Ray Lopez, who went 3 for 5 with two stolen bases one game after hitting his first collegiate home run. No player had a multi-hit game for the Bulldogs.
Barbery picked up the win to go to 5-2 after allowing two runs on four hits over 6 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out two. Edens allowed one hit over 2 2/3 innings to pick up save #11 and close within three of the single-season VMI record in that statistic.
Starter Thomas Byelick (1-3) took the loss for The Citadel, as he went four innings and allowed all three runs. He did not issue a walk and struck out five.
The Keydets jumped ahead in the first inning, thanks to the legs of Lopez. He led off with a single, stole second, stole third on the lead end of a double steal and then scored on Winn’s sacrifice fly for a 1-0 Keydet lead.
VMI scored again in the third, and Lopez was again in the middle of it. He doubled with one out and Jordan Tarsovich followed with a single. David Geary was then able to beat out a potential 5-4-3 double play to score Lopez and make it 2-0, VMI.
The Keydets tacked on again in the fourth, when Tyler Tharp reach on an error and one out later, Collin Fleischer singled. Brandon Angus was hit by a pitch to load the bases and after a strikeout, Lopez singled through the left side for a RBI and a 3-0 VMI advantage.
The Citadel got a run back in the bottom of the fourth on a RBI hit by Connor Walsh, and scored again in the sixth on Steven Hansen’s RBI single that cut the VMI margin to 3-2. With a runner at first and one out in the seventh, Edens relieved Barbery and promptly gave up a single to pinch-hitter Austin Mapes. He would then retire eight of the next nine hitters to close out the save, as The Citadel managed just one baserunner the remainder of the contest.
The sweep was VMI’s first of The Citadel in a three-game road weekend series in program history. Matt Winn saw his hitting streak come to an end after 14 consecutive games.
VMI baseball will return to action Tuesday, when the Keydets travel to the Radford Highlanders for a road non-conference game that gets underway at 6 p.m.
NOTE: An interview with head coach Jonathan Hadra and a photo gallery will both be available on this article no later than Monday.
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