Score:Â Davidson 7, VCU 2
Location:Â Richmond, Va. (The Diamond)
Records:Â VCU 16-14 (3-3 Atlantic 10), Davidson 24-6 (5-1 A-10)
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The short story:Â The Wildcats used a five-run fifth inning to pull away from the Rams in a match-up of top Atlantic 10 teams.
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FIRST PITCH
- Redshirt sophomore third baseman Tyler Locklear extended his reached base streak to 13 games, going 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.Â
- Redshirt junior first baseman Michael Haydak went 1-for-4 and extended his own reached base streak to 10 games.
- Redshirt sophomore right-hander Mason Delane started on the mound for the Rams, throwing 3.0 innings, striking out three batters, and allowing one unearned run.
- Redshirt junior left-hander Jaden Griffin tossed 2.2 scoreless innings of relief, striking out three while scattering a hit and a walk.
- Davidson's Ryan Feczko earned the win with 5.2 innings pitched, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks, and striking out three. He improved to 7-0 on the year. Chase Hungate took the loss for VCU.
- The Wildcats outhit VCU 11-3. The Rams committed three errors, compared to Davidson's one.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- Ryan Wilson led off the second inning with a single for the Wildcats, then advanced to third on a failed pick-off attempt. A sacrifice fly from Jacob Hinderleider opened the scoring with an unearned run.
- VCU responded in the bottom of the frame, as redshirt sophomore second baseman Ben Nippolt led off with a walk, moved to second on a ground ball to third from redshirt sophomore left fielder Cooper Benzin, then third on a wild pitch. Redshirt sophomore catcher Nic Ericsson lifted a sac fly to center to tie the game at 1-1.
- Davidson exploded for five runs on five hits and a pair of VCU errors in the fifth inning to take a 6-1 lead.
- Griffin inherited two runners with one out in the fifth and induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning, then followed it up with scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh.
- Redshirt junior right fielder Logan Amiss struck out swinging to lead off the sixth, but reached base on a dropped third strike as Feczko's pitch was wild. Locklear hit a double to the gap in left center to score Amiss in the next at-bat and cut the lead to 6-2.
- The Wildcats added an insurance run with an RBI double in the eighth.
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UP NEXT
VCU plays the return leg of a home-and-home at VMI Tuesday, April 12 at 6 p.m. in Lexington, Va.
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