LEXINGTON, Va. — A game-tying home run by
Sam Dansky in the ninth and a three-run 10th frame propelled The Citadel (29-24, 10-10 SoCon) to a 7-4 extra-inning victory over VMI (28-25, 3-17 SoCon) at Gray-Minor Stadium on Friday night.
TJ Anderson scored three runs and recorded two hits, including a double.
Christian Stratis hit his third home run of the year, logging the solo RBI.
Zach Hunt collected three hits and drove in four runs. Dansky hit the game-tying home run in the ninth inning, contributing one RBI and adding a double as well.
Andrew Buffkin started the game with five innings of work, conceding two earned runs on five hits while recording three strikeouts.
Ben Brash came in relief and pitched 0.1 innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits.
CJ Van Slooten provided 1.1 innings in relief, allowing one walk without giving up any runs.
Michael Gibson earned his fourth win of the season after throwing 3.1 innings, surrendering just one hit with zero runs and setting down six on strikes.
For VMI, Grayson Fitzwater and Bradley Garner both recorded two hits, and Ayden Schnarrs added two RBIs. Hunter Sipe earned the loss after throwing 5.0 innings in relief, allowing six hits, four runs, four earned runs, and striking out two.
"Big series win. We got another quality start from Buffkin. Van Slooten did a great job of damage control to stop the bleeding, and Gibson was lights out over the final two innings", said head coach
Russell Triplett. "Offensively, we didn't execute well, but we did enough to win. Dansky came up clutch in the ninth to tie the game. Hunt came up big all day with three two-out hits that produced four runs. Winning a game like this late in the year can really help a team heading into the tournament."
Up next, the Bulldogs conclude the three-game series against VMI at 1 p.m. at Gray-Minor Stadium on May 16.
