The VMI baseball team split a Southern Conference doubleheader May 12–14, 2023, with visiting East Tennessee State University, taking the first contest 7-6 but dropping the second 9-6. The teams’ eight 1st Class cadets were honored before the first pitch of the opener in Gray-Minor Stadium.
Cole Garrett ’24, a backstop, drilled a home run in each game and finished with five RBIs. The Keydets finished the home portion of their 2023 schedule with a 20-13 record.
Game 1
How it happened:
The Keydets took a 6-0 lead after plating two points in the second and four in the fourth. An insurance run in the sixth proved invaluable after the Bucs rallied for six in the top of the eighth, but VMI hung on for the 7-6 win. Keydet pitching left 16 ETSU runners stranded on base.
Highlights:
- Trey Morgan ’23 started on the mound and threw 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball to earn the win, striking out a season-high seven.
- Will Riley ’24 recorded five outs, four via strikeout, to earn his sixth save. He allowed just one hit and one walk.
- Zac Morris ’23 was 2-2 with a home run, two RBIs, and three stolen bases.
- Garrett was 2-4 with a homer, a double, two runs, and two RBIs.
- Ty Swaim ’24 had two hits and two stolen bases.
- Justin Starke ’23 had a hit and three walks.
- Brett Cook ’24 and Grayson Fitzwater ’26 each had a hit and a walk.
- For ETSU, Cameron Sisneros was 2-5 with a double, a home run, and four RBIs.
Game 2
How it happened:
VMI trailed just 4-3 after six, but the Buccaneers took control with a five-run seventh inning. A three-run long ball from Garrett in the bottom half of the inning cut the lead to 9-6, but the Keydets could get no closer.
Highlights:
- Cole Jenkins ’24 went 3-5 with two doubles and two RBIs.
- Morris was 2-3 with a walk and a double, and Jimmy Koza ’26 also had two hits.
- Cook and Starke each had a hit and a walk.
- Derrell Fletcher-Knight ’26 kept VMI in the game with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out two with one hit and one walk.
- For ETSU, Sisneros was 2-4 in the nightcap with a home run (23-26/8-10 SoCon).
Editor’s Note: This story first appeared at vmikeydets.com.
