Score:Â VCU 7, Merrimack College 5
Location:Â Richmond, Va. (The Diamond)
Winning Pitcher: Maison Martinez (2-0)
Losing Pitcher: Campbell Cassidy (0-1)
Records:Â VCU 4-3, Merrimack College 1-5
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The short story:Â 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.
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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.
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