Chris Ramirez shot a two-run home run in the first inning, but it was all that the High Point baseball team could muster, as VMI took a 9-2 victory over the Panthers in the second game of a weekend Big South Conference series Saturday afternoon.

VMI improves to 23-25 overall, 8-12 in the Big South, while HPU falls to 18-32 on the season and 6-17 in league play.

Duke Acors earned his 13th career win by pitching 6.2 innings, allowing seven hits and two runs while striking out six batters. Jeff DeMara came on to record the final seven outs, allowing only two hits while notching his 29th appearance of the season.

High Point starter Eammon Portice worked 5.2 innings and took the loss to fall to 5-4, as he allowed seven hits and seven runs, only five earned, while issuing four walks, hitting two batters and throwing a pair of wild pitches. Mark Shorey came on in relief and worked the final 2.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits while walking two batters as well.

The Keydets fell behind in the first inning for the second straight day, when a two-run shot by Ramirez gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead.

VMI cut the margin in half in the second inning without the benefit of a hit. Jacoby Fields reached after striking out but beating the throw to first base after a wild pitch, then moved to third base thanks to a pair of sacrifice bunts. A fielding error on a groundball to the shortstop allowed Fields to score the home team's first run of the game, cutting the lead to 2-1 in the second.

That's how the score would remain until the VMI fourth, when Chase Buchanan came through with his second go-ahead hit in as many days, this time a two-run double down the left field line. Two batters later, Buchanan came around from second to score on a groundball up the middle, putting the Keydets up by a 4-2 count.

VMI scored in each of the three following frames to put the game out of reach.  

Shorey paced the Panther offense with three hits in his four trips to the plate. However, Ramirez accounted for all of the Panther scoring with his two-run homer that scored junior left fielder Anthony Bell in the first.

VMI and High Point wrap up the weekend series Sunday afternoon, with first pitch at Patchin Field scheduled for 1:00 pm. The Keydets will honor their senior class before the contest, with pre-game ceremonies starting at approximately 12:40 p.m.