Score: VCU 7, Merrimack College 5
Location: Richmond, Va. (The Diamond)
Winning Pitcher: Maison Martinez (2-0)
Losing Pitcher: Campbell Cassidy (0-1)
Records: VCU 4-3, Merrimack College 1-5
 
The short story: VCU Baseball sophomore Maison Martinez chucked 4.2 scoreless frames to provide the foundation for the Rams to battle back for a series winning victory over Merrimack College in a Sunday matinee at the Diamond.
 
LEADING OFF

• Martinez came out of the pen to strike out five Merrimack Warriors and gave up zero walks in his winning 4.2 innings thrown
• Redshirt junior Jack Hoeymans finished off the final 2.1 innings, giving up just one run and striking out three
• Senior Brandon Eike (1-for-3) provided the power, knocking in two runs with one home run and scoring a pair of his own runs while drawing two walks
• Graduate Eli Weisner made a pinch-hit appearance, knocking in a pair of runs to join Eike with a multi-RBI day
• Merrimack's Haba (2-for-5) and Ferrentino (2-for-3) each had multi-hit days for the Warriors and starting pitcher Ryan tossed four scoreless frames

THE STRETCH

• Merrimack College would get a pair of runs in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead
• Over the opening four frames, Merrimack's Ryan held the Rams hitless
• Martinez entered the game in the second frame, relieving VCU's starter graduate Will Greer. Martinez would go on to face 15 batters over the next four-plus innings.
• The 6-2 right hander kept Merrimack at bay, allowing the Rams to get into the Merrimack bullpen
• In the fifth, the Warriors made a pitching change and the Rams came alive, scoring five runs in the frame capped off by Weisner's pinch hit two RBI single to right field that made it 5-2 after five innings
• The Rams padded the lead with a pair of runs in the sixth powered by Eike's two-run blast to left center that scored junior Casey Kleinman and made it 7-2 heading into the final three innings
• Merrimack scored two in the seventh, and one more in the ninth, but thanks to Eike's differene making two-run home run and a strong 2.1 innings from Hoeymans the Rams finished Merrimack off
• And with a final strikeout of Brady on three-straight pitches, VCU wrapped up its series win

NOTABLE

• The Rams went 3-1 over its home opening week/weekend
• Eike knocked in six runs over the past two games and has hit a home run in three of his last four games
• Martinez has tossed 7.2 scoreless innings, giving up just four hits and striking out nine over his first two appearances of the season

NEXT UP
VCU hits the road for a ranked matchup when they visit Chapel Hill, N.C.to face No. 15 North Carolina on Tuesday (4 p.m.). And on Wednesday, VCU returns to the Diamond for a 3 p.m. meeting against Maryland.