LEXINGTON, Va. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) baseball team won 13-12 over the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Keydets in The Southern Conference (SoCon) action on Saturday afternoon at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium.

The Keydets got on the board first in the bottom of the opening frame when Boston Torres singled to right to score Owen Prince from third. Ayden Schnarrs then doubled off the wall in left-center to score a pair, which made it 3-0 VMI after one inning.

UNCG scored its first run in the top of the second inning when Parker Wight hit a solo home run over the fence in left to cut the deficit to 3-1.

The Spartans tied it and then took the lead in the third inning when Jose Perez launched a two-run homer out to right before Wight hit his second home run of the afternoon, a three-run blast out to center to make it 6-3 UNCG. VMI answered with one run on a squeeze bunt in the bottom half of the inning, but it was all the Keydets could manage as the Spartans led 6-4 after three frames.

The fifth inning saw both sides score. After the Spartans got an RBI single from Perez before Jacob Budzik scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-4, the Keydets closed the gap to one, 8-7, with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Torres drove in the first two runs with a home run down the left-field line. Kazuya Jordan then sent a third run across the plate when he grounded out to second, allowing Ryan Peterson to score from third to shrink UNCG's lead to 8-7.

Luke Jenkins singled to right during the sixth inning to score Holland from second, which made it 9-7 Spartans. Budzik then roped a single through the left side to score Jenkins from second. However, VMI answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie it, 10-10. Peterson scored one with an RBI single before Torres and him scored in the next at-bat on an RBI double by Schnarrs.

UNCG took the lead back, 11-10, to start the seventh when Jacob Dilley flew out to center field for a sacrifice fly that scored Wolf from third.

In the eighth inning, Wolf hit a two-run home run to left to extend the Spartans' lead to 13-10. The Keydets answered with a solo home run from Grayson Fitzwater out to right to cut the deficit to 13-11. Jordan then drew a bases-loaded walk to close the gap to one, 13-12, before the ninth inning.

After Rob Ready led the Spartans out of a jam in the eighth, he returned to the mound for the ninth and earned his first save of the season by securing the 13-12 victory with a 1-2-3 inning.

NOTES:

• Wight led UNCG with two home runs and four RBI.
• Wight now leads the Spartans with five homers this season.
• Wolf led the team with three hits.
• Wolf and Perez also hit homers; it was the first home run of the season for both.
• Perez was second on the team with three RBI.
• Four different Spartans scored twice.
• UNCG led in walks, 9-6, and stolen bases, 4-1.

PITCHING RECORDS:
Dylan Smith: W, 1-0
Clark Driscoll: L, 0-2
Rob Ready: Save, 1

RECORDS:
UNCG: 12-14, 2-0 SoCon
VMI: 16-11, 2-3 SoCon

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The Spartans will face the Keydets in the series finale on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. back in Lexington at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium.