Score: VCU 8, Old Dominion 2
Location: Norfolk, Va. (Bud Metheny Baseball Stadium)
Records: VCU 29-18, Old Dominion 31-14
 
The short story: Five different Rams had multi-hit games as VCU picked up a midweek road win against in-state rival Old Dominion.
 
FIRST PITCH

• VCU has won four games in a row, 12 of its last 15, and is 26-10 since March 8. The Rams are 11-6 against teams from the state of Virginia this season.
• The Rams split the season series with the Monarchs, who are receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
• Sophomore shortstop Connor Hujsak went 4-for-4, a career-high in hits, collecting two doubles, a walk, a stolen base, a run, and two RBIs.
• Redshirt junior left fielder AJ Mathis launched his first home run as a Ram, a part of a 3-for-5 night that included a double, two runs, and two RBIs.
• Freshman right-hander Nick Frazier earned his first career win, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
• Redshirt junior lefty Joey Perkins had his most productive outing as a Ram, throwing 3.2 innings of middle relief, striking out a pair and scattering four hits while allowing just one run.
• Redshirt senior righty Edwin Serrano earned his team-best fourth save of the year, tossing the final 3.0 innings, allowing a single run on four hits.
• Freshman second baseman Marcus O'Malley went 3-for-5, also a career high for hits, with a run and two RBIs.
• Redshirt sophomore third baseman Ben Nippolt went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, a sacrifice fly, a run, and an RBI.
• Redshirt sophomore first baseman Tyler Locklear went 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, a run, and an RBI.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Despite walking a pair, Frazier struck out the side in the bottom of the first in his first collegiate start.
• Mathis led off the top of the second by launching a towering home run over the right field fence.
• Freshman catcher Casey Gibbs walked behind Mathis, moved to third on O'Malley's single, then scored on Nippolt's sac fly to double the lead at 2-0.
• Locklear added to the lead in the fourth, running out an RBI infield single that scored O'Malley to make it 3-0.
• After ODU pulled a run back in the bottom of the fourth with a sac fly, Mathis responded in the top of the fifth with an RBI double lined to the left field corner to score Hujsak.
• O'Malley broke the game open in the seventh with a two-run single to extend the lead to 6-1. An inning later, Hujsak smacked a two-run double off the wall in left to push the VCU advantage to 8-1.

 
NOTABLE

• The Rams played stellar defense throughout Tuesday's game, committing no errors. Hujsak turned an unassisted double play in the second, catching a lineout at short and stepping on second base to put out the runner who didn't tag.
• Redshirt sophomore center fielder Scottie O'Bryan made a diving catch to rob a hit in the fourth.
• O'Malley made the first out in the sixth with a jump throw from the hole to beat a runner; the Rams then turned a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
• VCU's five team doubles tied a season high, and Nippolt and Hujsak each had season highs with two doubles apiece.
• Locklear leads the Rams with 50 runs, 57 hits, 44 RBIs, 32 walks, and 17 multi-hit games. He's reached base in 30 consecutive games, with hits in seven straight.
• Hujsak leads VCU with 13 stolen bases and 12 multi-RBI games, and ranks second with 16 doubles, 39 RBIs, and 20 walks.

 
UP NEXT
The Rams travel to Amherst, Mass., for a three-game Atlantic 10 series at Massachusetts May 13-15. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+. VCU sits in second place in the conference standings after sweeping two straight A-10 series.