VMI Baseball secured its fourth consecutive win with a 16-6 victory over Western Illinois at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium on Saturday. The game ended in eight innings due to the mercy rule.
Despite being outhit by Western Illinois, VMI made the most of their opportunities, recording 15 RBIs and leaving few runners on base. Cole Cook led the offense, going three-for-three with five RBIs and hitting a grand slam, his sixth home run of the season. Owen Prince and Cook each stole two bases as part of the team’s seven stolen bases.
Eli Tyndall earned his first collegiate win after pitching 4.2 innings in relief and allowing just one run. The Keydets had a season-high 14 assists in the field and turned three double plays. Seth Buchanan and Thomas Conrad each contributed three RBIs, while Prince scored three runs.
The scoring began early for VMI, with Grayson Fitzwater driving in a run in the first inning, followed by Buchanan’s bases-clearing double to give the Keydets a 4-0 lead. After WIU scored once in the second inning, VMI extended its advantage through aggressive baserunning and timely hits.
Western Illinois narrowed the gap by scoring five runs between the third and sixth innings. However, VMI responded by scoring nine unanswered runs in the final three innings. Cook’s RBI double started the surge in the sixth before he delivered a grand slam later that inning to extend VMI’s lead to 13-6. In the eighth, Conrad hit a bases-clearing double to end the game via run rule.
The series concludes Sunday with an 11 a.m. first pitch, which will be broadcast on ESPN+. More information is available at VMIKeydets.com or through VMI Athletics’ social media channels.
