Erbe, Massenburg Help VMI Stagger Radford in Non-Conference Baseball, 11-6

RADFORD, Va. – VMI used a two-run homer by Elliott Erbe in the second and a three run shot in the forth by Brandon Massenburg en route to a 11-6 non-conference baseball victory Wednesday afternoon at Dedmon Center Park. (Box Score)

VMI plated 11 runs on 12 hits led by Massenburg and Erbe’s three RBI each, as Allen Wimmer and Jon Wade each collected a pair of hits in push VMI to 10-16 on the season. Cory Koliscak (0-4) suffered the loss for the Highlanders, who dropped to 5-14 on the season, allowing 10 runs, all earned on nine hits in 4.1 innings. Ryan Wetzel and Nat Hodges each had two hits, as Alan Ashworth added a two-run homer in a losing effort.

Erbe’s two-run home run in the second gave VMI a 2-0 lead. The Keydets added a single run in the third, as Kelly Sweppenhieser doubled to left diving home matt smith from first after he led off the inning with a single.

Nat Hodges singled to lead off the bottom of the third and moved to third on Steve Mignogna’s double down the right field line. Hodges would score on a John Vellines groundout cutting the VMI lead to 3-1.

The Keydets would once again plate runs in their next at-bat. Massenburg drove in all three VMI runs with his blast to right pushing the lead to 6-1. A Mark Fleisher sacrifice fly, a Wetzel RBI single to center and a perfectly executed safety squeeze by Shaun House pulled RU within 6-3 in the fourth.

But VMI would plate four runs in the fifth, keyed by Wade and Barden doubles to push VMI advantage to 10-3. Ashworth’s blast to right cut into VMI advantage in the fifth, 10-5, but that was as close as RU could get as VMI plated a single run in the sixth and RU added one in the eighth.

The Highlanders return to action this weekend as they closeout the season with 18 of their final 25 game in the friendly confines of Dedmon Center Park hosting High Point University in a pivotal three game series starting on Friday at 3 p.m.