VMI Baseball lost to Mercer on May 8 in the opening game of its final road series at OrthoGeorgia Park. The Keydets were defeated by the Bears with a score of 13-2, ending the game early due to the mercy rule.
The result is significant as it marks another setback for VMI in Southern Conference play, bringing their conference record to 3-13 while Mercer’s improves to 10-6. The Keydets managed two runs on five hits during the game.
Ayden Schnarrs scored both runs for VMI, hit a double, and was hit by a pitch for the twenty-third time this season—now second most in VMI single-season history and fourth all-time with forty-one career hit-by-pitches. Gabe Jenkins went two-for-three at bat. Jim Douthat pitched effectively out of the bullpen, throwing two and two-thirds innings with four strikeouts while allowing just one hit. Benjamin Cardone and Cole Cook each recorded an RBI.
Mercer started strong offensively, scoring six runs in the first inning after hitting two home runs including a grand slam. They continued their momentum with additional home runs in subsequent innings: one each in the second and third innings, followed by two more long balls in the fourth that pushed their lead to thirteen runs. The Keydets got on board with an RBI groundout from Cook in the fifth inning and Cardone’s single up the middle scored Schnarrs in the sixth.
Looking ahead, VMI will face Mercer again on Saturday at 2 p.m.
