No. 5 Rhode Island Starters
Penney (2B), Connolly (DH), Moroney (SS), Hopko (RF), King (3B), Botti (LF), Leikus (C), Gormley (1B), Henschel (CF), Houchens (P)
No. 3 VCU Starters
DeFranco (SS), Petite (CF), Lethert (DH), Lee (C), Flores (LF), Kirkpatrick (3B), Maher (1B), Warden (2B), Adelman (RF), Frers (P)
How it Happened
Rhode Island dropped the first game of the Atlantic 10 Championship final, 18-16, to VCU on Saturday night at Capital One Park in Tysons, Va. With the win, VCU forced a winner-take-all championship game on Sunday, May 24 at 12 p.m.
VCU took the lead for good in the top of the ninth inning. With the score tied 16-16, VCU scored two runs - one on a Rhode Island wild pitch and another on a passed ball - to grab an 18-16 advantage heading into the bottom of the frame. Rhode Island brought the tying run to the plate twice in the ninth but was unable to move a runner past first base.
Despite trailing 10-5 through the first three-and-a-half innings, Rhode Island battled back during the middle innings. In the bottom of the fourth,
Scott Penney launched a two-run homer to cut the deficit to 10-7.
Rhode Island then surged ahead in the fifth with back-to-back home runs. With two runners on,
Danny Leikus crushed a three-run homer to left field to tie the game at 10-10. One batter later,
TJ Gormley followed with a solo shot to left, giving Rhode Island its first lead since the opening inning.
After Rhode Island added another run in the sixth when
Reece Moroney scored on a
Ryan King RBI ground out, the Rams held a 12-10 lead. VCU responded with four runs in the seventh, two more in the eighth, and the decisive two-run ninth inning to outlast Rhode Island and force Sunday's final game.
Inside the Box Score
- With two hits tonight for Reece Moroney has 88 hits on the season. That is a new program record for hits in a single season.
- Danny Leikus had three hits including a pair of home runs. He finished the game with five RBI and two runs scored.
- Ryan Henschel had a three-hit game with a home run. He scored three times.
- Brian Connolly reached base four times with two hits and two walks. He added two RBI and a run scored.
- TJ Gormley had a home run and two runs scored.
- AJ Jones and Braeden Perry each threw scoreless innings and combined for one hit and three strikeouts.
Up Next
Rhode Island and VCU will meet again tomorrow, Sunday, May 23 at 12 p.m. at Capital One Park for the A-10 crown.
