Rams extend conference record to 9-3
Photo by Ali Jones
The Rams continued roll in conference play by taking the first two games of the conference series against La Salle University.
The Rams traveled to the city of brotherly love on Friday, where hits and runs for LaSalle were hard to come by, due to an excellent showing by Rams starting sophomore pitcher Sean Thompson.
Thompson’s performance against the Explorers marked his best this season, as he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He gave up only two hits in his seven innings, with only one run earned and striking out seven for his seventh win on the season.
On offense, the Rams were led by junior infielder Darian Carpenter and junior infielder Matt Davis, who both finished with multi-hit games. Senior outfielder Jimmy Kerrigan stays hot as he contributed with two RBIs. Senior outfielder Cody Acker contributed to the run column as he had a RBI, respectively.
For the Explorers, senior infielder Colin McGowan caused problems on the base paths after a leadoff walk. McGowan scored on a wild pitch, giving LaSalle an early 1-0 lead.
The fifth inning for the Rams proved to be the most pivotal. Logan Farrar, Carpenter, and Matt started the inning with three straight singles. Kerrigan had his first of two RBIs, with a ground out to second base, allowing the runner to score from third to pull things even at 1-1. The Rams would score two more runs in the inning playing situational base running.
VCU would go on to cruise 9-1 in the first match-up.
Game 2
The Rams continued to impress in their second game of the three game series at LaSalle.
VCU was led by a breakout performance by junior pitcher Brooks Vial. The left handed pitcher delivered his best game as a Ram, striking out 15 Explorers and only allowing one run in six innings.
Vial’s 15 strikeouts tied the record for the most in a VCU game since 2004. The Rams’ bullpen would impress as well, finishing with five strikeouts, pushing the game strikeout total to 20 for VCU, and allowing no earned runs.
The Rams offense continued hot. Kerrigan had another great game on offense, going two for five with a homerun and two RBIs. Davis and senior infielder Cooper Mickelson both had strong performances as they both had multi-hit games, with three RBIs between the two.
The Rams got off to a quick start in the first, as Kerrigan drove the ball to the wall, allowing one run to score. The Rams would not look back after the first as they never lost the lead in the contest. VCU would break open the game in the fourth inning, notching four runs and extending the lead to 6-1. Carpenter and Davis came through in the fourth, with key singles pushing the lead to four.
Rodney Robinson, Contributing Writer
