CHARLESTON, S.C. – Sophomore left hander
Shane Connolly tossed his second complete-game shutout of the season to pitch The Citadel to a 1-0 victory over VMI Saturday afternoon at Riley Park.
Game Information
Score: The Citadel 1, VMI 0
Records: The Citadel (8-15, 1-1 SoCon), VMI (5-17, 1-1 SoCon)
Series: Series tied 1-1
Location: Charleston, South Carolina (Riley Park)
Key Plays
- The Keydets put runners on the corners with one out in the second, but Connolly got out of the jam with a 4-6-3 double play.
- VMI got the leadoff runner on again in the sixth, but the Bulldogs were once again able to get out of the inning with a double play.
How it Happened
- The Bulldogs scored the lone run of the game in the bottom of the first inning after Jeffery Brown singled to left field on the first pitch of the at-bat.
- A balk moved Brown to second before a groundout put him on third with two outs.
- Ryan McCarthy plated Brown by beating out an infield single to third.
- VMI tried to answer back in the top of the second as they started the inning with back-to-back singles.
- A fielder's choice put runners on the corners with one out, but Connolly got the next hitter to ground into the inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
- Both pitchers were locked in from that point as neither allowed another base hit until VMI got a one-out single in the seventh.
- VMI was able to get the leadoff guy on the sixth inning, but Tilo Skole made an outstanding play to start a 6-4-3 double play to end any threat.
- The Keydets got their fourth hit with one out in the eighth, but a pair of flyouts ended the inning without the runner advancing.
Inside the Box Score
- Shane Connolly (3-2) allowed just four singles in throwing his second complete-game shutout of the season. The southpaw struck out four and walked one.
- Connolly becomes the first Bulldog since Matt Talley in 2010 to throw two complete-game shutouts in one season.
- The 1-0 victory is the first for the Bulldogs since May 18, 2017 against Wofford. The 'Dogs lone run in that game also came in the first inning.
- The game was played in a brisk two hours and eight minutes. It is the third game this season to have that duration. All three contests were shutouts.
- Jeffery Brown's single in the first inning extended his hit streak to four games. He has now hit safely in eight of the last nine contests.
- Ryan McCarthy's first-inning RBI was his team-leading 17th of the season.
On Deck
The teams play the rubber game of the three-game series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Tony Skole
"It has been a long 16-18 hours to get to this point. I am very proud of our guys. We challenged them last night and again this morning, and I am really proud of the way they responded. They found a way to do whatever it takes to win.
"
Shane Connolly put us on his shoulders today and said he was going to take it and do it himself, and he did. I am really proud of his performance and job
Will Bastian, our freshman catcher, did behind the plate today."