GAME ONE
Final Score: VCU 9, Fairfield 3
Winning Pitcher: Christian Gordon (2-1)
Losing Pitcher: Peter Ostensen (0-3)
Location: Richmond, Va. (The Diamond)
Records: VCU 3-7, Fairfield 4-4
 
The Short Story: A Brandon Eike grand slam coupled with five shutdown innings from winning pitcher Christian Gordon powered VCU Baseball to its first home win of 2023 in the opening game of Sunday's doubleheader.
 
LEADING OFF: 

• Gordon tossed five innings, giving up just one run on two hits and he struck out four batters.
• Eike, missing the cycle by a triple, went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and a grand slam.
• AJ Mathis led things off with a 3-for-3 day, drawing a walk and scoring two runs.
• Evan Bert provided two innings of relief, giving up two runs on three hits.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• The first 2 and a half innings saw both sides trading out as neither VCU or Fairfield would score any runs.
• In the bottom of the third the Rams got things going, and it was started by a double to left center by Mathis.
• With two outs, William Bean and Will Carlone both reached on a hit by pitch and up stepped Eike. The Ram first basemen wasted little time, taking the first pitch he saw and depositing it left field for a grand slam.
• Eike's grand slam was the first by a Ram since Carlone hit one against Richmond on May 28, 2022.
• Gordon would go on to keep Fairfield quiet, shutting down the Stags in order in both the third and fourth innings.
• In the bottom of the fourth the Rams added to their lead, platting five runs on RBIs from Cooper Benzin, Griffin Boone and Casey Gibbs. The final being a two-out two RBI double from Gibbs to put the score at 9-0.
• Fairfield would get three over the final two frames, but Bert finished off the 9-3 win for the Rams as they took the opening game of Sunday's doubleheader.

GAME TWO
Final Score: Fairfield 5, VCU 2
Winning Pitcher: Jack Erbeck (1-0)
Save: Bowen Baker (1)
Losing Pitcher: Brendan Erka (0-2)
Location: Richmond, Va. (The Diamond)
Records: VCU 3-8, Fairfield 5-4
 
The Short Story: Four runs in the top of the seventh by Fairfield would be the difference in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader, with Fairfield completing the late comeback to spoil VCU's hopes of a doubleheader sweep.
 
LEADING OFF: 

• Zachary Peters gave VCU 4.1 strong innings from the start, giving up just one run on three hits and striking out two.
• The Rams got RBIs from Bean and Boone with both Rams getting one hit in the game.
• James Gladden gave VCU one strong inning of relief giving up one hit and no runs.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• Fairfield opened the scoring with a run in the second, and that would be the only run they would score until the seventh as Peters and Gladden shut down the Fairfield offense.
• In the bottom of the third the Rams got on the board, tying the game at 1-1 thanks to an RBI double to left field by Bean that scored Ethan Brooks (walk).
• Logan Amiss walked and stole second to get the Rams going in the fourth and with Boone's RBI double to right center the Rams took a 2-1 lead with three frames left.
• In the top of the seventh, the Stags would begin and complete a comeback that would cost VCU the game.
• Scoring four runs in three hits and one error, the Stags took a late 5-2 lead heading into the bottom half of the seventh.
• VCU could not get the bats going in the bottom half of the seventh and after the final out the Stags had finished off a 5-2 comeback win to split the doubleheader at The Diamond.

UP NEXT: VCU hits the road for a pair of midweek games, starting at Liberty on Mar. 7 with that game set for 4 p.m. The Rams then wrap up their midweek Virginia swing with a game at James Madison set to get going at 3 p.m. on Mar. 8. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.