Score: VCU 8, La Salle 4
Location: Richmond, Va. (The Diamond)
Records: VCU 11-8 (3-0), La Salle 9-10 (0-3)
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VCU baseball held La Salle to just one scoring inning for the third consecutive game, completing their second-straight weekend sweep and opening Atlantic 10 play with a perfect 3-0 record for the first time since 2019.
Cooper Campbell tossed 5.1 innings of no-hit ball out of the bullpen, allowing the Rams to score seven unanswered runs for an 8-4 victory.
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LEADING OFF:
- Campbell retired the final 13 batters he faced, setting career highs with 5.1 innings pitched and seven strikeouts without giving up a hit
- Zach Peters closed on the mound, not allowing a runner to reach safely
- Nate Kirkpatrick had a three-hit game for his sixth multi-hit game of the season
- Left-fielder Nick Flores reached 10 doubles on the year, posting back-to-back double-digit double campaigns
- Michael Petite tied his career-best three runs for the third time as a Ram
- With the win, VCU extended its win streak to six games, the longest single-season win streak under Head Coach Sean Thompson
- The Rams' 12 hits were the third-most in a game this season, while their three hits allowed tied for the second-fewest
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- A passed ball opened the scoring for VCU as Petite scored his first of three runs on the day in the second inning
- La Salle completed all of its scoring in the third inning, collecting all three of its hits in the game, the final of which was a home run from right-fielder Carter Groen to give the Explorers a 4-1 lead
- The Rams chipped away over the next two frames, collecting runs on a Jacob Lee sacrifice fly and a successful double steal of home to pull within one run, 4-3
- With two down in the fifth inning, Lee was hit by a pitch, Petite drew a walk and Kirkpatrick singled in a run before VCU's go-ahead run crossed the plate on a second double steal
- Back-to-back doubles from Lee and Petite opened the seventh inning's scoring before Quinn Maher drove in his fifth run of the week on a sacrifice fly to extend the Rams' lead to 7-4
- Flores completed the scoring in the game on an outfield error to give VCU its 8-4 final score for the Atlantic 10-opening weekend sweep
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UP NEXT
VCU will hit the road for a midweek bout at Virginia Tech at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17 at English Field. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX.