VMI Blanks The Citadel, 8-0

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Josh Winder threw eight shutout innings and Jacob Jaye drove in four runs as ninth-seeded VMI battered SoCon Pitcher of the Year JP Sears for seven runs in the first three innings Tuesday in an 8-0 win over No. 8 seed The Citadel in the opening contest of the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.

The Keydets (23-32) advance to the double-elimination portion of the bracket and will face No. 1 seed Mercer on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. The Citadel sees its season end at 16-35.

In a contest that was delayed 6 1/2 hours by inclement weather, VMI took advantage of some uncharacteristic wildness from Sears to chase the junior left-hander after 2 1/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season. Jaye did most of the damage against Sears, smoking an RBI double off the Green Monster in left in the second inning and hitting a 392-foot, three-run home run to right in the top of the third to knock out the Bulldogs' ace.

Jaye's blast highlighted a six-run second for the Keydets, who also scored on a wild pitch, a Josh Hollifield RBI single and a Michael Diodato squeeze bunt in the frame. Collin Fleischer added an RBI single in the ninth to cap the scoring.

That was more than enough for Winder, who scattered three hits and a walk in his eight innings of work. The sophomore right-hander struck out six as he improved to 7-6 on the year. Michael Geary worked a scoreless ninth to close out the win.

Sears – who fanned 20 VMI batters the last time the squads faced off, on March 24 – found himself in trouble from the get-go, as the Keydets loaded the bases with one out in the first on a double, hit batter and full-count walk. The Bulldogs' defense came to his rescue, however, as second baseman J.D. Davis gloved Fleischer's ball back up the middle and made a nifty flip to second to start the 4-6-3, inning-ending double play.

VMI was able to break through the following inning, when Jaye's double off the wall scored Jake Huggins with what would prove to be the decisive run.

Sears (7-3), who entered the contest leading NCAA Division I with 138 strikeouts on the year, surrendered four hits and five walks, hit three batters and uncorked two wild pitches despite delivering first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 19 batters he faced. He struck out four batters on the day.

Jaye and Matt Pita led VMI with two hits each, while Huggins scored twice. First baseman Joe Sabatini had two of The Citadel's four hits.

The Bulldogs advanced just one runner to third in the contest, when Bryce Leasure reached on an error to lead off the sixth and went to third on Sabatini's single. Sabatini was out on the play trying to stretch the hit into a double, and Winder recovered with a popup and a strikeout to end the scoring threat.

The SoCon Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases resumes Wednesday at 9 a.m. with No. 4 seed Furman taking on No. 5 seed Wofford.

May 23 (Tuesday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 1: #9 VMI 8, #8 The Citadel 0

May 24 (Wednesday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 2: #4 Furman vs. #5 Wofford 9 a.m.
Game 3: #1 Mercer vs. #9 VMI 12:30 p.m.
Game 4: #2 Western Carolina vs. #7 ETSU 4 p.m.
Game 5: #3 UNCG vs. #6 Samford 7:30 p.m.

May 25 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 6: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 3 9 a.m.
Game 7: Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 5 12:30 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3 4 p.m.
Game 9: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 7:30 p.m.

May 26 (Friday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 3:30 p.m.
Game 11: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 9 7 p.m.

May 27 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (SDN)
Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 12: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9 12 p.m.
Game 13: Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11 3:30 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 13 vs. Loser Game 12 7 p.m.

May 28 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN3)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 15: Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 14 12 p.m.
^Game 16: Winner Game 15 vs. Loser Game 15 40 minutes after Game 15

^ if necessary

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