Ben Martindale, Staff Writer
Men’s tennis vs. Liberty University
VCU men’s tennis suffered a tough 6-1 homecourt defeat at the hands of No. 60 ranked Liberty. The Rams were competitive early, but eventually dropped the doubles point to fall behind 1-0. Despite multiple competitive three set matches, VCU could not string together enough momentum to turn the tide. The Rams’ lone point came from second-year Erwann Bouchet, who won his match 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Men’s track at Duke University, University of South Florida and University of Mount Olive
VCU men’s track and field had a historic weekend, breaking the school triple jump record twice in the same meet. Third-year Isaiah-Taji Kargbo-Owens broke the record first with a score of 15.64 meters. Fourth-year Philip Daniel then broke his record with a score of 15.73 meters. In the 400 meter dash third-year Jude Okafor clocked in a time of 46.96, the second fastest time in VCU program history.
Women’s track at Duke University, University of South Florida and University of Mount Olive
VCU women’s track and field had an incredible meet with three athletes finishing top three in program history in their respective events. Fourth-year Sydney Carr finished second in program history with 12.73 on the triple jump, good for second place at the event. Third-year Blanca Pereira placed first in the hammer throw with a throw of 61.94 meters which was the second best in program history. First-year Melissa Casiraghi finished second in the same event with a throw of 59 meters, the third best in VCU history.
Women’s tennis at University of North Carolina at Charlotte
VCU women’s tennis took on the surging No. 32 ranked Charlotte in a road matchup. The Rams fell behind early and dropped the doubles point. On the bright side for the Rams, second-year Sophia Thorne and third-year Elecia Kim were ahead 5-4 in their doubles match when play was stopped. From that point on it was all Charlotte, which won three consecutive singles matches to secure the victory.
Men’s tennis at Old Dominion University
The Rams took on No. 56 Old Dominion in a competitive match that ultimately saw VCU fall 4-1. With the doubles point coming down to the final match, VCU second-year Gevorg Mnatsakanyan and first-year Patrik Petera clutched up in an exciting match, winning 7-5 and securing the doubles point. From that point Old Dominion took control, winning four consecutive singles matches to secure the victory.
Baseball at Fordham University — weekend series
Game 1
VCU won the first game of its series against Fordham in impressive fashion, with three different Rams hitting home runs. The first of those home runs came thanks to graduate student Dante DeFranco, who scored on the opening pitch of the first inning. The Rams benefited from some excellent pitching, with redshirt first-year Dawson Newman striking out a new career-high of five batters. Second-year relief pitcher Zach Peters was also huge for VCU, pitching three shut-out innings.
Game 2
The Rams dominated the second game of their weekend series against Fordham, winning 13-1. VCU fourth-year pitcher Patrick Steitz had a career game, pitching eight scoreless innings and notching eight strikeouts. The Rams failed to score through four innings but then picked it up in the fifth scoring two runs in three consecutive innings before finishing strong with a huge seven run ninth inning. VCU third-years Quinn Maher, Michael Petite, and Nate Kirkpatrick hit home runs, making it the second consecutive game three in which VCU players hit home runs.
Game 3
VCU withstood a late comeback attempt from Fordham to win 7-6 and complete the series sweep. Second-year Jacob Lee had a huge game for the Rams hitting two home runs. The big game moves Lee up to eighth place in program history for home runs. Third-year Michael Petite continued his excellent play over the weekend, connecting for three hits. VCU led 7-4 going into the bottom of the ninth and, despite a big inning for Fordham, survived to secure the win. The Rams now hold a record of 21-14 on the season.