BALTIMORE – The UMBC baseball team split two seven-inning games against the VMI Keydets on Friday evening at Alumni Field. The Retrievers took the opener by a score of 7-4 and were blanked in the nightcap, 8-0.  UMBC finished the regular season with a record of 29-25 and will begin play in the 2023 America East Championship on Thursday afternoon.
 
Senior Tony Krueger continued his torrid hitting in the opener as the designated hitter went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Graduate student left fielder Christian Easley swiped two bases and scored a pair of runs and senior right fielder Ian Diaz went 2-for-4 (double) with two runs scored. Junior shortstop Dawson Baracani added a  2-for-3 performance.
 
UMBC's bullpen did not allow a run over the final 2.2 innings after sophomore starter Jayden Shertel was chased after 4.1 innings. Freshman Joshua Rivera (2-1) picked up the victory and senior closer Connor Kelly picked up his ninth save.
 
The Retrievers scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning as they recorded four hits. Krueger opened the scoring with an RBI single, sophomore third baseman Matt Ryan had an RBI double, and junior second baseman Anthony Swenda added an RBI sac fly.  The other run came on an error by the Keydets.
 
VMI scored three runs in the top of the third to trim the deficit to 4-3 and then evened the game with a run in the fifth.
 
Krueger put the hosts ahead for good in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double to right center that scored Taylor.  The Retrievers added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth on a wild pitch and a throwing error.
 
VMI (26-28) cruised in the second game as freshman right-hander Andrew Jones pitched a complete-game shutout and allowed just one hit. Jones walked just two batters and fanned seven to earn his first victory of the season.
 
The Keydets scored five times in the top of the first inning against junior starter Joe Pucek (3-4) and never looked back.