May 21, 2010

VCU SPLITS FRIDAY DOUBLEHEADER AGAINST JAMES MADISON
Rams look for series win and chance for CAA regular season title in Saturday’s finale

GAME 1: VCU 6, JAMES MADISON 1
Box Score

Junior Joe Van Meter went 4-for-4 with five RBI including a pair of home runs and a double, and sophomore Seth Cutler-Voltz tossed his fourth complete game to lead Virginia Commonwealth University to a 6-1 victory against James Madison University in game one of a Colonial Athletic Association doubleheader Friday evening at The Diamond. 

Senior Richard Gonzalez went 2-for-4 as he and Van Meter combined to collect six of the Rams’ nine hits.  Cutler-Voltz scattered five hits over nine innings with a pair of strikeouts and improved his record to 7-3

Van Meter hit a two-run shot over the left field wall to give VCU a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first but James Madison shortstop David Herbek hit a solo homer in the top of the second to pull the Dukes within a run.

But Van Meter gave the Rams a 4-1 advantage with his second long ball of the day in the fifth before VCU added two more runs in the sixth.


GAME 2: JAMES MADISON 11, VCU 8
Box Score

James Madison rallied for an 11-8 win in the nightcap behind 15 hits and forces VCU to win Saturday’s finale in addition to a Georgia State loss for the Rams to claim the CAA regular season title.

Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with three runs and a RBI, while Van Meter and sophomore Brent Mikionis collected a pair of hits and drove in three runs apiece.  Sophomore Paul Nice also went 2-for-4.

Mikionis plated a pair with a single in the top of the first and VCU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but a three-run homer by Trevor Knight highlighted a five-run second inning rally for James Madison.  The Dukes then chased Rams starter Ryan Farrar with two more runs in the third and went ahead 7-2.

Van Meter collected his sixth straight hit of the night with a triple in the right center gap and Mikionis doubled down the left field line and VCU pulled within 7-4 in the bottom of the third.

However, the Dukes went on to plate runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh and extended their lead to 11-5.

Gonzalez drove in a run after a one-out single and Van Meter pulled VCU within 11-8 in the ninth but the Rams could not overcome a five-run deficit in the final frame.

VCU and James Madison will conclude the three-game series Saturday at 4 p.m.  All Little League players and coaches in uniform will receive free admission.