Final Score: VCU 10, Saint Louis 6
Winning Pitcher: Brendan Erka (1-2)
Losing Pitcher: Evan Gray (1-1)
Location: Richmond, Va. (The Diamond)
Records: VCU 21-21 (7-6), Saint Louis 24-15 (9-4)
 
The Short Story: After falling into an early 5-0 hole, VCU Baseball used five shutdown innings from Brendan Erka and late clutch hitting to storm back and take its opening Atlantic 10 matchup with Saint Louis.
 
LEADING OFF: 

• VCU trailed 5-0 after the first two innings, but four runs in the seventh and three in the eighth completed one of the better wins of the 2023 season.
• This was only VCU's third win of the season when trailing after six innings.
• Erka tossed five innings of one-run ball, giving up just two hits while striking out four to earn the first win of his career.
• Brandon Eike went a strong 3-for-4 at the dish, knocking in three runs and scoring one of his own and his two-out hit in the seventh put the Rams ahead for good.
• AJ Mathis set the table from the leadoff spot, going 2-for-3, smashing a pair of doubles, scoring two runs, knocking in two and walking three times.
• Will Carlone got back to his swinging ways, going 3-for-5 with one RBI and one double.
• Zachary Peters started, going four innings. The freshman starter bounced back after giving up five runs to put up a pair of zeros and finished with just giving up two hits.
• Coming in ranked 10th in the country in hit-by-pitch, VCU was plunked four times tonight to bring their season total to 86.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• In the first frame, Saint Louis got on the board with a solo home run and in the second they added four runs to take an early 5-0 lead.
• The Billikens would score just once more in the game, when in the top of the seventh Cam Redding hit a solo home run.
• VCU got on the board in the third thanks to a Carlone RBI single to right that scored Mathis (walk) and after three innings it was 5-1.
• The Ram pitching then began to settle in and after the opening two frames both Peters and Erka put up zeros until the seventh.
• Over that four inning stretch twice Peters sat down the Billikens down in order (third, fourth) and both Peters and Erka allowed just five base runners.
• Mathis led off the fifth with a double to right center and he eventually scored on a Eike RBI single to left. Eike scored when William Bean reached on a throwing error by the catcher and after the fifth the Rams had cut into the Saint Louis led at 5-3.
• Erka did find himself in trouble, with the Rams having just scored two Erka plunked two batters and walked a third, all with two outs, to load the bases.
• But the Ram pitcher found what he needed and struck out SLU's Ethan Sitzman to end the threat.
• The Rams then completed the comeback in the seventh. And it started on a Jake Thilges single up the middle. Bean walked and after Logan Amiss got hit to load the bases, Nic Ericsson smacked a sacrifice fly to center to score Thilges.
• Bean scored when Ethan Brooks reached on a fielder's choice and with two outs Eike delivered the go-ahead blow when he singled home both Mathis and Brooks to make it 7-6 Rams.
• Again, leading off with a single, Thilges got it going in the eighth as VCU added three insurance runs on RBIs from Bean and Mathis. The big blow coming on a two RBI double from Mathis.
• Erka then shut the door in the ninth sitting down the Saint Louis in order to lock up VCU's comeback A-10 victory.

UP NEXT: VCU and Saint Louis will play a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 29 to wrap up the weekend. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. and both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.