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                         March 8, 2002

By Bob Beretta
Assoc. Ath. Dir., Athletic Media Relations

Virginia Military Institute battled back from a 2-0 deficit in the first game, then jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap as the Army baseball team opened its season by dropping a doubleheader to the Keydets, losing by the scores of 5-2 and 4-2, Sunday afternoon at Patchin Field.

Senior right-hander Brian Elliott (0-1) was dominant in the early going of the first game, retiring 15 of the first 18 batters he faced. In fact, he allowed just two hits and three baserunners over the first five innings as the Black Knights built an early 2-0 lead.

But Elliott ran into trouble in the sixth as the Keydets parlayed four hits, two Army fielding errors, one hit batsman and one walk into five runs. Justin Briggs delivered two runs with a single to center field and Chris Brooks scored another with a single to right in keying the rally.

Army had jumped in front by plating single runs in the fourth and fifth frames. Senior Josh Minney doubled and scored on an RBI groundout by freshman catcher Schuyler Williamson in the fourth, while sophomore Michael Cooper scored the Black Knights’ second run courtesy of a passed ball in the fifth.

Keydet closer Phil Hendrix (2-1) fired two scoreless innings of relief to pick up the victory for the Keydets. Elliott, meanwhile, allowed five hits and four earned runs over 5.1 innings in suffering the setback. He struck out four and walked two.

VMI struck quickly in the second game, touching Army sophomore starter Wes Bumgardner (0-1) for three runs on two hits in the first inning. Brooks delivered the key blow, smashing a two-run homer to right field after Ben Rand drew a leadoff walk. The Keydets stretched their advantage to 4-0 with an unearned run off Bumgardner in the fourth.

The Black Knights sliced the deficit in half in the top of the fifth inning, scoring on an RBI groundout by senior Greg Sirko and a run- scoring single by senior Kyle Kalkwarf. Army threatened again in the sixth, placing the potential tying runs on base with no outs. But junior Josh Holden popped out while attempting to sacrifice, senior Miguel Gastellum struck out looking and senior Kyle Norton grounded out to end the inning.

Hendrix, the third of three Keydet pitchers, worked a perfect seventh inning to register his first save of the season.

Sirko, who finished with three hits on the day, stroked two of Army’s five safeties in the first game, while Gastellum collected two of Army’s six hits in game two. With one single in each contest, Kalkwarf extended his hitting streak to 15 games, dating back to last season.

The Black Knights return to action Saturday when they travel to Washington, D.C., to battle Hoftstra in a four-game weekend series.