Score: VCU 12, Merrimack College 16
Location: Richmond, Va. (The Diamond)
Winning Pitcher: Michael Dragon (1-1)
Losing Pitcher: Owen Tappy (0-1)
Records: VCU 3-3, Merrimack College 1-4
 
The short story: Merrimack College scored seven runs over the final two frames to pull away from VCU Baseball to take the second game of the weekend and force a series deciding rubber game for Sunday.
 
LEADING OFF

• Junior Casey Kleinman led the Rams from the leadoff spot, going 3-for-4 with on double, two runs scored and one RBI
• Senior Brandon Eike hit a home run, going 2-for-5 with one double, four RBIs and two runs scored
• Sophomore Aden Hill went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored while graduate Ethan Iannuzzi smashed a home run, finishing 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs
• Sophomore Cam Nuckols tossed one scoreless frame, giving up just one hit and facing just four batters
• Merrimack's Michael Dragon got the win behind three innings tossed, while Cavan Brady and Dawson Bryce led the Warriors at the plate with three hits each

THE STRETCH

• VCU scored two runs in the first, powered by senior William Bean's RBI double down the right field line making it 2-0 after the opening frame
• Merrimack got on the board in the third, scoring four to take a two-run lead heading into the bottom half of the frame
• Kleinman led off the bottom half of the third with a double to left, that set the table for Eike
• On a 1-1 pitch, the Ram third basemen smashed a two-run game tying homer to right center knotting the score at 4-4
• Both sides traded leads over the next frame, with Merrimack scoring three in the top of the fourth and VCU answering with four of their own
• The Rams' fourth inning outburst was capped off by Eike's two RBI double to right field that eventually led to VCU holding an 8-7 lead after four
• Much like the sixth, again both teams traded leads with Merrimack scoring a pair in the top half of the frame
• Hill's RBI in the bottom of the sixth scored senior Cooper Benzin to again tie things up at 9-9
• But in the eighth Merrimack College used four hits and one VCU error to plate five runs to pull away from VCU
• The Warriors added two more in the ninth, and despite Iannuzzi's two out three-run home run making it 16-12 the Rams could not complete the comeback

NOTABLE

• The Rams have scored at least 12 runs in their past three games
• Iannuzzi has now had back-to-back games with two hits and has had seven RBIs over the past four games

NEXT UP
VCU goes for the series win over Merrimack College on Sunday, Feb. 25. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.