The Citadel’s JP Sears struck out 19 VMI Keydets, leading the Bulldogs to a 10-2 victory in the opener of a Southern Conference series Friday night in Lexington, Va.
The Citadel (10-12, 1-0) scored the game’s first seven runs, but the Keydets (13-12, 0-1) saw Peyton Maddox lead off the fourth inning with his eighth home run of the season to cut the lead to 7-1. That was all the Keydets would get off Sears, however, as he set down the last 15 he faced – including 13 by strikeout – en route to the most strikeouts in an NCAA game this season.
Sears set a new Gray-Minor Stadium record for individual strikeouts, and the 21 overall strikeouts were the most that VMI had incurred offensively in program history. He picked up the victory with his eight strong innings to move to 3-1, while Matthew Eagle (5-1) suffered the loss. Eagle was knocked out in the third inning after giving up five runs, all earned, on eight hits and an uncharacteristic three walks.
The Bulldogs jumped ahead early, as a RBI double for Stephen Windham scored Jason Smith to put the visitors up, 1-0. That would not only give The Citadel the lead for good, but it set up a game-long trend of two-out hitting. The Bulldogs went 8 for 17 on the day with two outs in an inning.
The Citadel added on with two runs in each of the next three innings, including a pair of home runs by Mike Deese, to knock out Eagle and run the lead to 7-0. The Keydets got a run back on Maddox’s home run, but the Bulldogs went on to score once more in the fifth andtwice in the seventh to cap their scoring. A RBI groundout by Jake Huggins in the ninth marked the final run of the game.
Offensively, Kinney’s four hits and Deese’s 3 for 5, two home run day led the Citadel. No Keydets had more than one hit.
VMI baseball will return to action Saturday, when the Keydets and Bulldogs resume their series at 4 p.m.
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