A pair of late inning VMI homers proved costly as High Point was unable to maintain an early advantage over the Keydets dropping a 6-3 decision in the series opener on Friday at Gray-Minor Stadium.

A two-run homer in the seventh inning by senior Robert Crumpler gave VMI (23-9, 4-3 Big South) a one-run advantage, while another roundtripper by Mike Roberts three batters later cemented the come from behind victory for the Keydets.

Taking the loss for the Panthers (17-16, 4-3) was starter Eammon Portice, who fell to 3-5 on the season after allowing six runs, five earned, in seven innings of work.  The junior righty struck out seven Keydets while walking only one, but hit four batters. 

Trey Barham (7-2), picked up the win for VMI notching five strikeouts while allowing three runs, two earned, in seven innings to tie the school's career victories mark.  Collecting the two-inning save was Corey Bachman, who allowed three hits while striking out two to record his third save of the season.  The win extends the Keydets' home win streak to 14 games, the nation's sixth-longest home winning streak.

In one of the quickest games of the season for either side, the Keydets struck first when Chad Rice scored an unearned run in the first inning on Yoder's first-pitch single to rightfield.  The Panthers quickly responded with their second triple in as many innings before a successful squeeze bunt put down by Eric Marion plated Chris Norwood to knot the score at one.

The Panthers took a 2-1 advantage with an unearned run of their own in the third inning, as Alfie Wheeler led things off by reaching on an error before scoring two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Cowan.  HPU then scored for the third-consecutive inning in the fourth, as Randy Schwartz, the League leader in RBIs, hit a rocket shot beyond the leftfield wall to make it a 3-1 ballgame.

The Keydets continued to leave runners stranded in the middle innings before finally breaking through off of Portice in the sixth, as Yoder got aboard on a bunt single down the leftfield-line, moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt and a groundout, then scored on Brian Sandridge's single to leftfield, bringing the score to 3-2.

After Barham worked around a leadoff single and a two-out walk to keep the Panthers off the board in the top of the seventh, the Keydets struck gold in the bottom of the frame.  Rice started things off by being hit by a pitch, before being retired on a fielder's choice by Thane Smith.  Crumpler quickly followed with his seventh home run of the season to give the Keydets the lead back at 4-3.  After a groundout, Portice hit Yoder before surrendering Roberts' first home run of the season just beyond the centerfield wall, giving the Keydets the 6-3 advantage.

The Panthers appeared they may answer back in the eighth off of Corey Bachman, on in relief of Barham, as they collected back-to-back, one-out singles before Schwartz strode to the plate.  But a fine defensive play by Crumpler at first base began a 3-3-6 double play to retire the side, leaving the hosts just three outs away from victory.

Unable to scratch across anything off of HPU reliever Glenn Jones in the bottom of the eighth, VMI shut down the Panthers in the ninth, as Bachman used a pair of strikeouts and a game-ending groundout to third base to strand pinch-hitter Max Fulginiti after his one-out single and give the Keydets their first Conference win at Gray-Minor Stadium.

For High Point, Norwood notched the only multiple hit day going 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored, while Cowan collected his first triple of the season while driving home a run and Schwartz swatted his team-leading seventh dinger. Capping the offense for the Keydets was Yoder, who scored a pair of runs while going 2-for-3.
 
The Keydets and Panthers wrap up their weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday, slated for a 1 p.m. start at Gray-Minor Stadium.