Junior first baseman Ryan Hatten went 5-5 with two doubles and two home runs Saturday, but Lehigh University defeated VMI 15-13 in 10 innings in non-conference action.
Hatten singled in the third, doubled in the fifth and sixth innings and hit home runs in the seventh and ninth. He boosted his season batting average nearly 130 points on the afternoon and his slugging percentage jumped from .125 to .459.
Matt Hand had a two-run single in the top of the second as part of a four-run frame for Lehigh. VMI answered with two runs in the bottom of the third. Callen Nuccio grounded out to bring in a run and Jake Huggins had an RBI single to make the score 4-2.
Hatten led off the fifth with a double and scored on a Nuccio single. Nuccio later scored on a groundout off the bat of Ryan Smoot to tie the game at four all. VMI surged ahead with five runs in the sixth. Hatten drove in two with a double, Nuccio brought Hatten home again with a single and Will Knight had a two-run double.
Following Hatten’s first home run in the seventh to put VMI ahead 10-7, the Mountain Hawks scored twice in the eighth to cut the lead to one. Lehigh scored four times in the top of the ninth to take a 13-10 advantage, but a three-run Hatten homer in the bottom of the ninth forced extra innings. Lehigh scored twice in the top of the 10th on a Quinn McKenna home run and held on for the wild win.
Hatten posted six RBI and scored five times, while Nuccio finished the day 3-6 with two runs, three RBI and two stolen bases. Smoot reached base three times after being hit by pitches to raise his season total to 12. Cody Warner was 2-4 with a walk and a double.
Hand was 4-5 with three runs and three RBI for Lehigh (7-7).
Lehigh and VMI play the third and final game of the series Sunday at 1 p.m.
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