The Basics

• Score: VCU 14, Saint Louis 3
• Records: VCU (35-22, 16-10 A10), Saint Louis (35-20, 16-9 A10)
• Location: Tucker Field at Barcroft Park – Arlington, Va.
• The Short Story: This Rams team keeps on rolling. A seven-run third inning highlighted a 14-3 victory for VCU over top-seeded Saint Louis. Darian Carpenter led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4 and driving in five runs, two of which came on a monster home run to left field in the seventh inning. Heath Dwyer took the hill tonight, going 7.2 innings and striking out five.
  
  
  

How It Happened

• As has been the case these last few weeks, VCU jumped out to an early lead. Vimael Machin drove in Logan Farrar on a sacrifice fly in the top of the first. In the next at-bat a high fly ball to deep centerfield got lost in the lights and allowed Darian Carpenter to reach second base and scored Daane Berezo. Jimmy Kerrigan added an RBI single to bring the Rams' first inning run total to three.
• The Rams were really able to get to Billikens' starter Clay Smith early on; he threw 34 pitches in the first inning, with just 18 strikes.
• Saint Louis would get a run back in the bottom of the second.
• VCU's white hot offense kept producing in the top of the third. Seven runs came in to score thanks to a couple of bases loaded walks, a wild pitch, and a few RBI singles. Through three innings they had drawn seven walks and two HBP.
• A fielder's choice and a Saint Louis fielding error brought in another couple of runs in the top of the sixth.
• Darian Carpenter continued his torrid pace at the place with a two-run bomb that soared over the left field wall and whipped the VCU dugout into a frenzy.
• Coming off of a great performance in his last start, Heath Dwyer was just as effective tonight.  The big lefty threw 7.2 innings while striking out five and holding the Billikens to just two hits through the first six innings.

Quotable

Up Next

• The Rams will take on #2 seed Rhode Island tomorrow at 5 pm.