Score: #11 Virginia 8, VCU 4
Location: Charlottesville, Va. (Disharoon Park)
Records: VCU 22-11, Virginia 26-7
 
The short story: VCU redshirt junior third baseman Brandon Eike launched his eighth home run of the season in an 8-4 loss at 11^th-ranked Virginia Tuesday.
 
LEADING OFF

• Eike turned in a 2-for-5 night for the Rams and drove in a pair. He leads VCU in both home runs (eight) and RBIs (38) this season
• Sophomore Ethan Brooks made the best of his first start of the season at second base for VCU. He recorded a pair of base hits (2-for-4) and reached base three times overall
• Senior designated hitter Cooper Benzin recorded an RBI double for the Black and Gold
• Harrison Didawick homered and drove in three to spark the Cavaliers

THE STRETCH

• Didawick gave UVA a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth when he deposited a 1-2 pitch over the left centerfield fence for a three-run home run. The Cavaliers would not trail again, and would add insurance runs in the sixth and eighth innings
• VCU pushed across a pair in the top half of the fifth for a short-lived, 4-3 lead. The Rams loaded the bases with nobody out, and Eike plated senior catcher Nic Ericsson on a fielder's choice to tie the game at 3-3. One out later, graduate left fielder Ethan Iannuzzi drew a bases loaded walk to pull VCU in front 4-3
• Eike staked VCU to a 1-0 lead in the first when he blasted the second pitch he saw over the centerfield fence. UVA responded with three runs in the home half of the first, but Benzin's RBI double to dead center in the second trimmed the deficit to 3-2
• Virginia racked up 14 hits on the night

NEXT UP
VCU will kick off the road portion of its Atlantic 10 Conference schedule when it visits Olean, N.Y. for a three-game set April 12-14. Friday's series opener kicks off at 3 p.m.