Recap

Jason Thompson sent a 2-2 pitch over 350 feet to left-center field in the top of the second inning to give VCU the early 1-0 lead. The following inning, Brian Gusich reached on error, advanced on a passed ball, and scored on Erick Torres' RBI single up the middle to make it a 2-0 VCU advantage.

ECU would not lay down, however. RJ Hillary walked for the Pirates, advanced on another walk by Jamal Campbell, and scored on a VCU defensive throwing error with two outs. However, the damage was contained at just the single unearned run, and starting pitcher Jared Cobbs finished his third and final inning of work with a 2-1 lead, after yielding just 1 hit in his first start of the year.

Nick Norwood came on to relieve in the 4th inning. After another VCU error put the leadoff man on base, Norwood struck out the next two batters. Norwood then got a fly ball to left field, which was dropped for the second error of the inning, allowing the tying run to score. The next 6 Pirate batters - the top of the lineup - all reached on 5 hits and a hit batter, resulting in 6 runs being scored that inning - all with two outs in an inning that Norwood should have been out of after the 3rd or even 4th batter.

Reliever Tim Grandy came on and induced a ground ball out to get out of the inning, and pitched a near flawless 5th and 6th, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 4. VCU continued to get runners on base, at one point having runners on first and second with no outs. However, a U5-3 double play ended the inning, and VCU never seriously threatened again.

"This was a tough loss," VCU head coach John Castiglioni said after the game. "Take away the 4th inning - 2 errors that would have made for the third out before any runs scored - and we won this baseball game 2-1. But we played hard and didn't give up, held them the rest of the way. That's something we can take away from this one."

VCU fell to 1-2 overall, and will begin conference play in 2 weeks at home against Washington & Lee University.