College Baseball
Virginia Military Institute 7, Rider University 4 (12 innings)
LEXINGTON, VA?For the second straight game the Broncs lost in the final inning. On Friday, a three-run home run with two outs in the 12th inning gave VMI the victory. “Overall, being our fourth game, we played well,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis. “We played the full 12 and we competed.”
VMI (3-6) scored three runs on two hits and an error in the 12th.
“We pitched outstanding,” Davis said of his three pitchers who gave up a combined three earned runs.
Sophomore Patrick Devlin (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock North) started and pitched five innings and struck out five while allowing four hits and two earned runs. “Devlin pitched great,” Davis said.
Senior Mike Petrowski (Hamilton Square, N.J./Steinert) pitched the final five innings and suffered the loss, allowing one earned run while striking out four. “The tough thing is that Mike pitched so well and has nothing to show for it,” Davis said.
Sophomore Nate Eppley (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern) struck out three in one and two-thirds innings of relief. “Eppley came in and did an outstanding job,” Davis said. “He did exactly what we wanted.”
VMI had loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth inning with a single, error and a single, but the Broncs turned a 4-2-3 double play and got a fly out to send the game into extra innings. “That was huge,” Davis said. “We get a great pitch from Mike (Petrowski), Albee (second baseman sophomore A.J. Albee of Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) comes to plate and we turn the double play. That was big-time. We showed a little guts there.”
Rider (2-2) led 4-3 when junior Matt McCollum (Tabernacle, N.J./Shawnee) hit a sacrifice fly to break a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning. “We scored but gave it to them right back,” Davis said.
VMI manufactured a run in the eighth inning with a hit batsman, stolen base, sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to tie the score at 4-4.
Senior Sean Olson (Vineland, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) hit a two-run single with two outs to tie the score at 3-3 in the seventh inning. Olson had two hits on the day.
Sophomore Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock) led off the fourth inning with a home run to cut the lead to 2-1. It was the seventh career home run for Heyne, who was a Freshman All-American last year.
Junior Nick Wojnowski (Baldwin, Md./Calvert Hall) and senior James Hayes (Sunrise, Fla./Piper) each had three of Rider's 10 hits.
The Keydets scored two runs with two outs in the second inning on a walk and two hits to take a 2-0 lead and went up 3-1 in the fourth inning.
“It was a good college game,” Davis said, “but a tough one to lose. Have to give VMI credit.”
The Broncs will stay in Lexington for a doubleheader with VMI on Saturday and a fourth game Sunday. “We have a chance to be pretty good so hopefully we'll improve down here this weekend,” Davis said.
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