Championship page
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Bret Hines hit a walk-off RBI triple in the bottom of the 10th inning to lead No. 8 seed The Citadel past No. 9 seed VMI, 3-2, in the opening game of the Southern Conference Baseball Championship at Fluor Field on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs (17-40) advance to face No. 1 seed Mercer (35-21) on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. VMI saw its season end at 21-35.
With two out and Mike Deese on first, Hines ripped a drive to straightaway center that chased VMI center fielder Will Malbon all the way to the wall. The ball glanced off of Malbon’s glove as the junior crashed full speed into the wall, allowing Deese to race home from first with the winning run and capping The Citadel’s exciting late-game rally.
The Bulldogs were trailing by one and down to their last two outs in the ninth inning but tied things at 2 on a squeeze play to force extras.
After drawing a leadoff walk, Steven Hansen moved to second on a wild pitch on a strikeout of Barrett Charpia, chasing VMI starter Josh Winder. Reliever Jack Gomersall promptly issued another wild pitch and a walk to put runners on the corners, and pinch-hitter Jacob Watcher greeted reliever Taylor Edens by laying down a sacrifice bunt that allowed Hansen to scamper home with the tying run.
The Citadel rally negated an impressive performance by Winder, VMI’s 6-5 all-freshman right-hander, who went 8 1/3 innings, striking out 10 and walking just one. Winder departed with the lead but was charged with The Citadel’s second run to take the no-decision.
His counterpart, JP Sears, also turned in a solid effort without earning a decision. The sophomore left-hander also allowed two runs, doing so on five hits and four walks with 10 strikeouts of his own in seven innings of work.
Kyle Smith (2-2) picked up the win for the Bulldogs with 3 innings of solid relief, as he allowed just a walk and one hit with five strikeouts. Edens (3-6) was charged with the loss after surrendering one run on two hits in 1 1/3 innings.
VMI was in control for much of the contest after Nathan Eaton’s third-inning home run. After The Citadel’s Stephen Windham got the scoring started with a solo home run in the bottom of the first, the Keydets answered two innings later, as Jacob Jaye picked up the Keydets’ first hit of the day with a single to center and Eaton hammered the first pitch he saw over the Green Monster in left to quickly make it a 2-1 contest.
That looked like it might be enough for Winder, who worked out of jams in the third and seventh innings, leaving runners at third in both frames, before running into trouble in the ninth.
Deese finished 3-for-5 with a run scored to pace the Bulldogs, while Windham was 2-for-5. Jaye led the Keydets with a two-hit, two-walk performance.
The SoCon Baseball Championship resumes Wednesday with No. 4 seed Furman taking on No. 5 seed ETSU at 9 a.m. in the first of four games on the day.
May 24 (Tuesday)
SoCon Championship (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 1: #8 The Citadel 3, #9 VMI 2 (10 innings)
May 25 (Wednesday)
SoCon Championship (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 2: #4 Furman vs. #5 ETSU 9 a.m.
Game 3: #1 Mercer vs. #8 The Citadel 12:30 p.m.
Game 4: #2 Western Carolina vs. #7 Wofford 4 p.m.
Game 5: #3 UNCG vs. #6 Samford 7:30 p.m.
May 26 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 6: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 3 9 a.m.
Game 7: Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 5 12:30 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3 4 p.m.
Game 9: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 7:30 p.m.
May 27 (Friday)
SoCon Championship (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 9 3:30 p.m.
Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 7 p.m.
May 28 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 12: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9 12 p.m.
Game 13: Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11 3:30 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 13 vs. Loser Game 12 7 p.m.
May 29 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship (ESPN3)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 15: Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 14 1 p.m.
^Game 16: Winner Game 15 vs. Loser Game 15 60 minutes after Game 15
^ if necessary
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