Score:Â Saint Joseph's 6, VCU 3
Location:Â Richmond, Va. (The Diamond)
Records:Â VCU 22-16 (7-5 Atlantic 10), Saint Joseph's 21-16 (7-5 A-10)
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The short story:Â The Rams fell to the Hawks Sunday, but still won the three-game conference series.
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FIRST PITCH
- At 7-5 in league play, the Rams pulled into a four-way tie for third place in the A-10 standings.
- Redshirt sophomore first baseman Tyler Locklear went 3-for-5 with his team-leading 10th home run of the season, two runs, and an RBI.
- Freshman second baseman Marcus O'Malley went 2-for-4 with a run.
- Graduate right-hander Nolan Wilson threw the final 3.0 innings of the game without allowing a run, collecting two strikeouts.
- Mike Falco earned the win on the mound for the Hawks with 3.2 innings of relief, while Ryan Devine notched a four-out save.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Hawks struck first with a Nate Thomas solo home run in the first inning.
- A five-run fifth, capped off by an Andrew Cossetti grand slam, pushed the Saint Joseph's advantage to 6-0.
- VCU struck back for a run in the bottom of the frame. After O'Malley singled and redshirt sophomore outfielder Scottie O'Bryan was hit by a pitch, redshirt sophomore third baseman Ben Nippolt delivered an RBI single to left to cut the lead to 6-1.
- After allowing the homer to Cossetti, redshirt junior lefty Jaden Griffin retired five batters in a row through the sixth.
- Locklear and redshirt junior right fielder Logan Amiss led off the eighth with back-to-back singles, then redshirt junior designated hitter AJ Mathis singled to right to score Locklear, making it 6-2.
- Locklear crushed a solo home run to deep center field in the ninth, cutting the advantage to 6-3.
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NOTABLE
- Locklear's home run was the 27th of his career, tying him with Juan Serrano (1986-89) for sixth place in VCU history. The hard-hitting infielder has reached base in 21 straight games, and leads the team with four games with three or more hits, 40 runs, and 35 RBIs.
- Sophomore left-hander Campbell Ellis took the loss on the mound for the Rams, but tied career highs with 4.1 innings pitched and five strikeouts.
- O'Malley has hits in six straight games.
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UP NEXT
The Rams host William & Mary Tuesday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. for the return leg of a home-and-home series. VCU beat the Tribe, who are coached by former Rams assistant coach Mike McRae, 4-2 on March 29. Tuesday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and tickets can be purchased
here.
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