University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
VMI
Bulldogs Splits Twinbill With VMI; Wins 1st Game, 8-5, Drops 2nd Game 7-4
04.12.2008 | Baseball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - UNC Asheville got home runs from Justin Schumer and Reed Kreiser and overcame six errors to defeat Big South-leading VMI, 8-5 in the first game of a doubleheader at McCormick Field Saturday afternoon. The Keydets came back to win the second game, 7-4.
In the second game, Asheville shortstop Kevin Weidenbacher went 0-for-4 and had his national-leading 31-game hitting streak snapped. He had two hits in the first game.
The teams play the third and final game of the series at Greenwood Field Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
In the first game, the Bulldogs (14-23, 2-6 BSC) trailed 4-2 but got a home run from Schumer to tie the game at 4-4 in the sixth inning. Kreiser's two-run shot in the seventh game Asheville the lead for good at 6-4.
The Dogs got insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth as Beau Zinman had a RBI-double to push the lead to 7-5. Catlin Carter's RBI-single pushed the lead to 8-5.
The win went to Michael Bogaert, who improved his record to 5-3. Saturday's game was suspended from Friday night that only played part of the top of the first inning.
Bogaert pitched six innings. He scattered nine hits, allowed four runs and only two were earned. He struck out three and walked four.
Asheville got on the board in the first when Kevin Mattison led off with a homer. Weidenbacher then singled before Schumer had a run-scoring single to push the Dogs in front, 2-0.
VMI (16-17, 8-3 BSC) came back in the second and had a run-scoring single from Thane Smith to cut the lead to 2-1. The Keydets (15-17, 7-3) scored two unearned runs in the fourth to grab a 3-2 lead. Justin Hess' RBI-double in the fifth put VMI in front, 4-2.
Schumer got the final six outs of the game to earn his fifth save of the year. He went 2-for-4 with two RBI and scored two runs.
In the second game, VMI scored four unearned runs in the second inning to send Asheville starter Alan DeRatt (6-1) to his first defeat of the season. The senior right-hander worked six innings, allowing five hits, striking out six and walking just one.
Keydet starter Chris Henderson handcuffed the Bulldogs for most of the game to improve his record to 5-3. He scattered five hits, allowing three runs, two earned. Henderson struck out three and walked just one.
VMI's big rally started with two outs and nobody on in the second inning. A.J. Yoder reached on an error. Justin Hess followed with a bunt single to put runners on first and second. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third. Thane Smith singled to left-center to drive in two runs for a 2-0 Keydet lead. Another error and a RBI-double from Sam Roberts padded the VMI lead to 4-0.
The Bulldogs got a RBI-single from Danny Baatz in the bottom of the second to cut the lead to 4-1. Mattison hit his second home run of the day in the sixth to narrow the lead to 4-2.
The visitors scored two insurance runs in the eighth to get the lead to 6-2 as Yoder had a run-scoring single and a squeeze bunt from Hess accounted for the two runs.
Trailing 7-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Asheville rallied to make things interesting. Schumer led off with a double and went to third on a single from Baatz. Zinman drove in a run on a ground-out. Catlin Carter doubled to put runners on second and third and bring the tying run to the plate with one out.
But VMI reliever Travis Smink was able to get the final two outs of the game and allow the Keydets to escape McCormick Field with a split.
