GWU Season Ends With 13-4 Loss To #8 VMI Tuesday At Big South Tourney
May 20, 2009 | Baseball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – No. 8 VMI pounded out 21 hits and used
three big innings to down No. 5 Gardner-Webb, 13-4, in Game B of
the 2009 Royal Purple Big South Baseball Championship, May 19 at
historic McCormick Field in Asheville, N.C.
The win is VMI's first victory in the Big South Baseball
Tournament. Gardner-Webb ends its season at 25-25 with the
loss.
The Runnin' Bulldogs plated a run in the bottom of the first. Brock
Miller reached on an infield single, and with two outs, moved to
third on Travis Smink's errant pickoff throw. Kurt Fulginiti
knocked in Miller with a sharp single through the middle to give
GWU the early 1-0 advantage.
VMI pushed ahead five runs in the top of the third to chase
Gardner-Webb starter Brett Stackhouse, with all five runs coming
before the first out. A..J. Yoder opened the inning with an infield
single and advanced to third on Tanner Biagini's single to center.
Sam Roberts doubled home Yoder to tie the game at 1-1 and put
runners on second and third. Jordan Ballard's two-run single scored
Roberts and Biagini to give VMI a 3-1 lead. The Keydets added two
more runs to move ahead 5-1.
The Keydets tacked on three more runs in the fourth frame. Biagini
singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Roberts walked and
Ballard loaded the bases with a single to right. After Biagini was
forced out at home on Alex Haitsuka's fielder's choice, Roberts
came around to score on a walk to Graham Sullivan. Justin Topping
then singled home Ballard, and Haitsuka made the score 8-1 when he
scored on Brian Sandridge's infield hit.
Gardner-Webb got one of the runs back in the bottom of the fifth to
cut VMI's lead to 8-2. Tyler Johnson opened with a double off the
left field wall, and later scored on Daniel Cooke's single to right
field. But the Keydets got the run back in the top of the sixth
when Sullivan's one-out single scored Ballard, who opened the
inning with a single and eventually reached third via a sacrifice
and wild pitch.
VMI stretched its lead to 13-2 with four runs in the seventh
inning, while Gardner-Webb's Ty Boyles belted a two-run home run in
the eighth for the final margin. It was Boyles' 15th homer of the
season.
Smink went seven innings for VMI and picked up his eighth win of
the season. He allowed six hits, two runs (one earned) and fanned
seven in improving to 8-4 on the year. Stackhouse suffered the loss
for Gardner-Webb after giving up five runs (three earned) on six
hits in just two innings of work.
Ballard went 5-6 at the plate for the Keydets, with three RBI and
four runs scored. Biagini collected four hits as well, while Yoder
had three in becoming VMI's record holder for hits in a season.
Johnson was the lone GWU player with two hits, as he finished
2-3.
The loss proved the final game for 12 Gardner-Webb seniors, a group
that accounted for 54 wins over the last two seasons.
"Things didn't turn out the way we would have liked, but the
deficit late allowed us to get all of our seniors in the game
tonight," said GWU head coach Rusty Stroupe. "It was a special
moment, even though it came under tough circumstances. It was an
honor to coach this group of 12 seniors over the last four
seasons."
