NUTTER FORT, W.Va. –The Salem University baseball team dropped a doubleheader to Virginia State as it fell 18-8 in game one and 10-8 in game two, Saturday at Frank Loria.
The losses drop the Tigers to 23-22 on the season.
In game one, junior
Walker Dodero was 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored with a home run, while senior
Harrison Hollis was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI.
Virginia State started off hot as it led the Tigers 4-0 in the top of the first inning. VSU went on to add five runs in the top of the second inning for a 9-0 lead.
Dodero blasted a leadoff homer on the first pitch in the bottom of the second to cut the lead to 9-1.
Virginia State went on to add another four runs in the top of the third inning to increase its lead to 13-1, while in the top of the fourth it added three runs for a 16-1 lead over the Tigers.
In the bottom of the fifth, Hollis added a run off an error, while senior
Thirus Jones went yard to right field for a three-run shot to cut the VSU lead to 16-5.
Salem added three runs in the bottom of the sixth as junior
Noah Suarez and Hollis blasted back-to-back solo homers to left field to cut the lead to 17-7, while junior
Dalton Robison hit a sacrifice fly to center as junior
Tyler Ault scored to bring the score to 17-8.
In game two, Dodero was 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored, while Robison was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI.
Virginia State opened the game with a five-run first inning to take a 5-0 lead.
In the top of the second, the Trojans added two more runs for a 7-0 advantage.
Salem added two runs in the bottom of the second as Dodero hit his second home run of the day launching a two-run shot to right field to cut the lead to 7-2.
Dodero notched his second home run of the game and third of the day in the bottom of the fourth as his sent a ball out of the park to right center to cut the lead to 8-3.
The Trojans added two runs in the top of the sixth to extend the lead to 10-3.
The Tigers came alive in the bottom of the sixth as junior
Parker Lenivy notched his first homer of the season as he sent a solo shot to left field. Two batters later Hollis launched his second home run of the day to cut the lead to 10-5.
With two runners on, Robison launched his program-leading 12th home run of the year to right for a three-run shot and to cut the lead to two, 10-8.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers were unable to produce a run as they fell just short.
The Tigers look to bounce back tomorrow as they will host Virginia State for a doubleheader at 12:00 p.m.
