SUMMARY
Although the Hawks led from the second inning until the bottom of the sixth, the VMI Keydets ultimately pulled away from the UMES Hawks, 14-8, to sweep the series.
THE SCORE
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks - 8
Virginia Military Institute - 14
(VMI wins series 4-0)
HOW IT HAPPENED
On a windy day with gusts as high as 47 miles per hour, the Hawks put together their best offensive showing of the season.
After falling behind by two runs, the Hawks unleashed an offensive onslaught in the top of the second inning. It started with Ryan Howe and Diego Aponte reaching base. The early activity on the base paths allowed Jason Brown to rocket a single through the left side of the infield for an RBI single, driving in Howe. The Maroon and Grey would go on to load the bases, allowing Elijah Negron to earn his first RBI of the season through drawing a walk in a bases loaded situation. With runners on all the bases, Maryland Eastern Shore continued to capitalize on the opportunity. Julian Jimenez skied a sacrifice fly to center field, resulting in a run by Jason Brown and giving the Hawks the lead, 3-2. Ansel Carson continued the string of clutch hits by slapping a single over the infield into the turf in right field to drive in Michael Blackiston. Lastly, Bronson Taylor brought the inning home by lacing a single through the right side of the infield to score Elijah Negron and give the Hawks a strong advantage, 5-2. In the second inning, the Hawks not only tallied five runs on four hits but also batted around the order for the first time this season.
From the third to the fifth inning, the Hawks remained in the lead. During this span, Jayden Dillard, Justin Spencer, Robert Guerrero, and Wilfredo Morales did enough on the mound to limit the Keydets offense from stringing together multiple runs and pitched well with runners in scoring position. Notably, Justin Spencer made a pitch that led to a 6-4-3 double play in the fourth inning and Wilfredo Morales forced a weak ground ball when VMI had the tying run at third base during the fifth inning.
Unfortunately for the Maroon and Grey, the pitching staff ran out of steam in the sixth inning, yielding nine runs in the final four innings. Even though the Hawks picked up runs on an RBI double from Bronson Taylor, an RBI single from Ryan Davis, and an RBI double from Julian Jimenez, UMES' valiant effort ultimately came up short.
THE NUMBERS
UMES finished with 11 hits on 8 runs and 4 errors while VMI finished with 14 runs on 9 hits and 1 error.
The Hawks outhit the Keydets 11-9. This is the first time this season that the Hawks have out-hit their opponents.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Austin McCabe made his first career start.
Of the Hawks 14 runs, nine of those runs have been scored during a second inning.
Bronson Taylor had a multi-hit game, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and two Doubles
Julian Jimenez also had a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBI and two doubles
Ryan Howe registered his 98th career hit, putting him just two hits shy of the 100-hit milestone.
All nine batters in the starting lineup reached base and eight of the nine registered a base hit.
The Hawks pitching staff continues to struggle with walks, yielding 14 walks to the Keydets.
BEST PERFORMANCES OF THE SERIES
Sophomore catcher Bronson Taylor went 4-for-10 with two RBI, and two doubles across three starts. Behind the dish, he caught five runners stealing.
Redshirt junior third-baseman Ryan Davis went 4-for-11 with three RBI and a home run across three starts and four overall games played.
Junior catcher and designated hitter Jonathan Gonzalez Perez went 4-for-10 with two RBI across three starts.
Redshirt junior outfielder Julian Jimenez finished 3-for-11 at the plate with four RBI, three doubles, and three walks across four starts. He recorded a pair of two-RBI games against VMI.
UP NEXT
With this loss, the Keydets sweep the Hawks in their opening four-game series. Maryland Eastern Shore will look for their first win of the season on Saturday against Towson.
FOLLOW ALONG
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