Box Score GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG Baseball team earned a series sweep over the VMI Keydets on Sunday afternoon, taking the final game 6-1. 2001 was the last time VMI visited Greensboro, suffering a similar fate, dropping all three games. The Spartans improve to 23-6 overall, and are 3-0 in Southern Conference (SoCon) play. VMI now falls to 15-17 overall, and 1-5 in the SoCon. With the 23 wins, UNCG has now matched its win total from 2015.
“Both pitchers came out and pitched really well.” Head Coach Link Jarrett said, “(Matt) Frisbee to come out and get through the order striking out four with his fastball. Then (Andrew) Wantz comes in with the bases loaded and nobody out, punching out the side, that got the momentum on our side the way he got out of that. The at bats we had in the fourth inning, when you can string together four, five, six consecutive good at bats like we did, that's what you have to do against good teams to put a crooked number on the board. That's not going to happen with one or two every inning, to really score you have to piggy-back those at bats. And to have (Jake) Kusz, who's caught every pitch for us this weekend, get that two-strike base hit that drove in a couple, that was an elite, focused, at bat that changed the game. That's a good, well-coached team. They ran some good arms out, I'm very proud of our team.”
UNCG used a 12-hit effort to secure the sweep over the Keydets. Dillon Stewart (Dunn, N.C./Brunswick CC) finished 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored. Ryne Sigmon (Danville, Va./Danville CC) connected for two hits, scored a run and drove in one.
Michael Goss (Cartersville, Ga./Chattanooga St. CC) added a pair of hits and an RBI. Collin Woody (Tampa, Fla./College of Central Florida) finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Ben Spitznagel (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wabash Valley CC) finished with two hits, with Andrew Moritz (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) and Jake Kusz (Durham, N.C./Riverside) adding one hit each, and Kusz driving in a pair.
Matt Frisbee (Candler, N.C./Enka) got the start, going 4.0+ innings, allowing six hits, one earned run, and striking out seven. Andrew Wantz (Holly Springs, N.C./Holly Springs) came in in the top of the fifth with the bases loaded and no outs. Wantz proceeded to strike out the side as he went 2.2 innings, striking out five hitters on the day.
Jake Lewis worked the next 0.2 innings, allowing only one hit before giving the ball to Woody. Woody threw the final 1.2 innings, walking two hitters and stirking out one while not allowing a hit.
VMI took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. With two outs, Matt Pita tripled to centerfield and then scored on a ground rule double from Will Malbon.
The Spartans took the lead in the bottom of the fourth frame. With one out, Woody singled and moved to second when Stewart drew a walk. Sigmon legged out an infield hit to load the bases for Kusz. Kusz connected for a single to centerfield to bring in two. Goss followed tucking a double in down the third base line to score Sigmon. Trejo lined out to right field, but it was deep enough to bring in Kusz and put UNCG up 4-1.
UNCG tacked on another run in bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Stewart doubled down the left field line and scored on a Sigmon single through the right side to put the Spartans up 5-1.
The Spartans put up an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single from Stewart to put UNCG up 6-1.
UNCG returns to action on Tuesday, April 5th as it travels to Durham, N.C. to take on Duke at 6:00 p.m.
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