Despite an outstanding start on the mound from freshman Tyler Kaltreider, the VMI baseball team fell 4-1 Saturday at Mercer University in the second game of a Southern Conference series from OrthoGeorgia Park. The Keydets won the opener 10-9 on Friday.
Kaltreider, a right-hander, threw seven innings and allowed just four hits with no walks and three earned runs with eight strikeouts. The two teams pitching staffs combined to walk just one batter on the afternoon.
Bill Knight homered in the second inning and Treyson Hughes hit another in the sixth to put the Bears ahead 2-0.
After singles from Trey Morgan, Justin Starke and Cole Garrett, VMI loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh. After Jed Barrett cut the lead to 2-1 after a sacrifice fly,
Mercer reliever Jackson Kelley struck out the next two Keydets. Kelley worked spotless eighth and ninth innings for the save and Mercer added two insurance runs in the eighth to secure the win.
Ty Swaim was 2-for-3 for VMI (16-34/6-11 SoCon) while Zac Morris doubled.
Josh Farmer started on the hill for Mercer (37-13/10-7) and earned the win, tossing six innings of one-run ball.
The two teams close out the series Sunday at 1 p.m.
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