Errors, middleinning rally doom Rams

The VCU Rams have had to swallow a lot of tough
losses to good teams early this season. Add the East
Carolina Pirates to that list.

The Rams gave up four runs in the fifth inning and
committed four total errors in a 7-4 loss to the Pirates
Wednesday afternoon at The Diamond.

East Carolina got on the board first. Centerfielder
Harrison Eldridge led off the inning with a walk. After
forcing a pop fly to second base, VCU starting pitcher
Brett Walker (Virginia Beach/Cox) threw the ball past
first baseman Jared Bolden (Lynchburg/E.C. Glass) on a
pick-off attempt. Eldridge hustled to third base, putting
him in scoring position. He scored one batter later on a
fly ball to right field by designated hitter Kyle Roller.

The Rams were able to get revenge in the bottom
half of the inning, plating four runs. Shortstop Chris
Jackson (Midlothian/Manchester) got the ball rolling
with an RBI single that plated Richard Gonzalez
(Caguas, Puerto Rico/PRBA). Designated hitter Michael
Cheatham (Chesterfield/Matoaca) followed with a
two-run double, scoring Bolden and Jackson. After a
single by third baseman Joe Van Meter (Brooklyn/St.
Dominic), Pirates starter Matt Cox was pulled and
replaced by Zach Cooper. VCU catcher Nathan Furry
(Salem/Salem) met the new pitcher with an RBI single
that plated Cheatham and gave the Rams the run that
would prove to be their last.

After holding the Pirates’ bats silent in the second,
VCU had a chance to strike, but were unable to convert.
After leftfielder Matthew Leskiw (Plains, Pa./James)
and Gonzalez walked to start the inning, Kwan Evans
(Hampton/Bethel) singled to load the bases. Cooper then
fired a wild pitch to Bolden, but catcher Corey Kemp
was able to recover and throw out Leskiw, who was
trying to score from third. Bolden followed by striking
out, and Cheatham grounded into a fielder’s choice two
batters later to end the threat.

VCU head coach Paul Keyes was unhappy with his
team’s inability to convert.

“The game should have been 10-0 by the second or
third inning,” Keyes said. “I told the guys I felt really
bad for them because they really should have put the
game away by the third inning.”

Had the Rams been able to convert, they might
have been able to avoid the oncoming rally by East
Carolina. After holding the Pirates scoreless in the
third and fourth, Walker gave up a single to Trent
Whitehead and hit Eldridge. After another single
to load the bases, Jackson threw the ball away on a
routine grounder that allowed both runners to score
and Ryan Wood to move to third. Wood scored when
the next batter, Stephen Batts, reached on another
error. After giving up another hit, Walker was pulled
in favor of Robbie Andrews (Covington/Alleghany).
Andrews forced a fly out to right, but Kemp stepped
up to the plate and knocked a sacrifice fly to center,
plating Batts and giving ECU the lead for good.

East Carolina was able to tack on two more runs
in the sixth inning while VCU was unable to touch
relief pitcher Brad Mincey. Mincey retired 19 of the
final 23 batters he faced. With two outs in the bottom
of the ninth, Jackson and Cheatham reached first on
errors, but Van Meter grounded out to third to end
the game. Coach Keyes was unhappy with his team’s
overall effort in the loss.

“When you have someone down that’s a good team
like East Carolina, you’ve got to put them away, and
we didn’t do it,” Keyes said.

The Rams are back in action this weekend in a
three-game series against George Mason in Fairfax.

By the numbers

ECU (5-4) 100 042 000 7 7 4

VCU (2-7) 400 000 000 4 7 4

Cox, Cooper (1), Mincey (2) and Kemp; Walker,
Andrews (5), Morgan (8) and Furry, Rodriguez (9).
W: Mincey (1-0). L: Walker (0-1).