Matt Winn hit his first collegiate home run, giving the VMI Keydets a 1-0 lead in the third, but the VCU Rams scored the next 18 runs en route to an 18-1 victory in non-conference baseball action Tuesday night at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.
Winn’s blast off Seth Cutler-Voltz (3-2) was hit to left field, after the VCU starter had struck out six Keydets over the first 2 2/3 innings. VCU then answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, before scoring 15 runs in the middle three frames to put the contest away. Culter-Voltz picked up the win, allowing one run over six innings and striking out 10. Connor Bach (0-3) took the loss for VMI, giving up five runs (four earned) over 3 2/3 frames.
After the Keydets pulled ahead in the third, Brent Mikionis tied the game for VCU in the bottom half, thanks to a RBI single to left field. Jordan Weymouth then scored on a wild pitch, giving the Rams a 2-1 lead.
That margin grew to 5-1 in the fourth, despite Bach retiring the first two hitters. After he did so, Vimael Machin drew a two-out walk. Paul Nice followed with a single, and Bill Cullen hit a drive to the right-center field gap. The ball bounced off the wall on the fly and caromed back toward the infield, away from the grasp of the Keydet outfielders. Cullen was able to round third and narrowly slide around the tag of Winn at home, recording a three-run, inside the park home run to push the VCU lead to 5-1.
The Rams pulled away in the fifth, adding eight runs against the Keydet bullpen to increase the lead to 13-1. Four more runs followed in the sixth, with the lone VMI bright spot during those innings being the debut of right-hander Andrew Woods, who threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He retired all four hitters he faced in his first collegiate outing.
VCU capped the scoring with a run in the eighth. Brandon Angus was the lone Keydet to post two hits, doing so for the first time in his brief collegiate career. Cullen went 5 for 6 with five RBI to lead the home team.
VMI baseball will return to action Wednesday, playing host to the Longwood Lancers at Gray-Minor Stadium. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
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