Keydets send Bulldogs to doghouse, secure third-straight series win
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – VMI Baseball (11-10) improves to a winning record for the first time in 2024 after defeating the University of North Carolina Asheville (10-9), 10-6, Sunday afternoon at Greenwood Field. The Keydets put up double-digit runs in back-to-back games to secure the third series win of the young campaign. VMI scored 33 combined runs in the series, the most in a three-game series all season for the Keydets.
Key Stats
- Brett Cook led the Keydets at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs
- Andrew Jones threw five clean innings, allowing just two hits and striking out five, after coming in relief to pick up win number two on the year
- Bulldogs had five errors in the field, giving the Keydets five unearned runs
- Justin Starke and Brett Cook tabbed a pair of home runs
- Kazuya Jordan secured his first triple of the season
- This is the fourth-straight contest where VMI earns 10+ hits
Breaking Down the Box Score
VMI tallied the first score of the day after Brett Cook reached on an error that scored a pair. Ty Swaim added some insurance in the second after reaching on another Bulldog error that scored Brett Cook. In the third inning, Justin Starke powered out a scoreboard-clearing bomb to make it 4-2 Keydets. The Bulldogs answered with a loud homer in the top half of the third. After the homer, Andrew Jones came in from the bullpen to shut down any more UNC Asheville threats. VMI retaliated with key offensive plays, starting with sacrifice bunts from Owen Prince and Ryan Peterson that scored a pair of runs in the fourth. Brett Cook continued his ways with an RBI single in the fifth to make it 7-4 VMI. More Bulldogs miscues resulted in a couple more runs for VMI with Kazuya Jordan scoring unearned on a sacrifice fly and Trey Morgan following behind on a passed ball. Despite letting UNC Asheville score on a wild pitch, VMI’s offense returned the blow in the eighth with a shot over the centerfield wall from Brett Cook to double up the Bulldogs, 10-5. The Bulldogs started a rally in the ninth but Marcus Van Alstine shut them down with two strikeouts.
Next Up for the Keydets
Keydets return to Gray-Minor Stadium for a mid-week matchup with Radford University. The first pitch is slated for Tuesday at 3 p.m. and you can watch the entire game on ESPN+. The Highlanders own the 31-18 series advantage, winning nine of the last 10 matchups. VMI won the last meeting after a stunning 17-7 decision in Lexington last season.