Rams baseball tops UMass series
A 16-3 blowout for the men’s baseball team started Atlantic 10 conference play right for the Rams in their three-game series against the University of Massachusetts, topping the series 2-1.
Peter Mason
Contributing Writer
A 16-3 blowout for the men’s baseball team started Atlantic 10 conference play right for the Rams in their three-game series against the University of Massachusetts, topping the series 2-1.
On Friday, March 27, the Rams led 13-0 in the first four innings. Sophomore catcher Matt Bare, junior shortstop Vinny Scifo and freshman outfielder Hunter Carey scored the only three runs for UMass in the fifth inning, but it was all the Minutemen could manage against the Rams.
Sophomores infielder/outfielder Logan Farrar, infielder Matt Davis, senior infielder Vimael Machin and junior outfielder Cody Acker, all scored three runs each for VCU.
The second matchup saw the Minutemen come away with a win, 3-2 on Saturday, March 28.
After seven innings the Rams led 1-0 before UMass scored three in the eighth. Scifo scored the first run off a single from redshirt senior outfielder Kyle Adie, who added another run, as well as sophomore infielder Bryce Maher to give UMass a 3-1 advantage.
In the bottom of the eighth, VCU’s junior outfielder Jimmy Kerrigan managed one more run for the Rams to cut the deficit to one point at 3-2. The Minutemen were able to hold on for the win, however, handing the Rams their third home loss of the season.
The Rams responded in game three, avenging the previous loss with an 8-0 blowout victory over UMass.
The Rams led 2-0 with runs from Machin and Kerrigan in the fourth before a strong fifth inning allowed the Rams to tack on four more runs. Sophomore infielder Darian Carpenter hit a grand slam that put the Rams up 6-0. Two more runs in the sixth and seventh completed the shutout for VCU.
After the UMass series, the Rams hosted the University of Virginia Cavaliers on Tuesday, March 31. The Cavs came out victorious in this game 5-3.
U.Va. led 5-0 until the bottom of the eighth inning when the Rams gave put together three runs to give the Cavaliers a scare. Acker and Farrar both scored runs and junior catcher Walker Haymaker added on the third.
The Cavaliers held off the Rams for the final inning and won the matchup 5-3. The Cavs also outhit the Rams 11-8.
Freshman outfielder Adam Haseley led the Cavs with two of their five runs. The loss put VCU at 15-12, with a 2-1 start in the Atlantic 10 conference portion of their schedule.
The Rams’ next match is a three-game road trip to Dayton, Ohio for conference play against the University of Dayton. On April 4, the men’s baseball team won the first game of a doubleheader, 5-2 to push their record to 16-12.
