VCU baseball secured a run-rule victory over Norfolk State on May 5, winning 14-3 in seven innings at Marty L. Miller Field in Norfolk, Virginia. The Rams extended their winning streak to four games and scored in double digits for the third time in four contests.
The game saw Jacob Lee become just the sixth player in VCU history to reach 30 career home runs, achieving this milestone in a record 101 games. Lee is now tied for fourth place all-time at VCU for career home runs and eighth for single-season home runs with his thirteenth of the year. Michael Petite also made it onto the single-season leaderboard by hitting his twelfth homer of the season.
Nate Kirkpatrick continued his strong performance by extending his hitting streak to five games, collecting ten hits and eight RBI during that span. In this contest, VCU matched its season-high with four home runs, as Petite, Kirkpatrick, Lee, and Quinn Maher each hit one out of the park. Ethan Acevedo started in left field and recorded his first career two-hit game while driving in two runs.
Lee led the offense with three hits while both Kirkpatrick and Petite tallied three RBI each. On the mound, relievers Caleb Clover (two innings), Bryce Carter (two innings), and Nick Frers (one inning) combined for five scoreless frames while allowing only one hit; Carter’s outing marked a Division I career high for him. The Rams posted a .406 team batting average—their fourth-highest mark this season.
The Rams took an early lead with two-run homers from Petite and Lee after walks drawn by Dante DeFranco and Teige Lethert gave them baserunners in the first inning. Although Norfolk State scored three times in their half of the second inning to make it close at 4-3, VCU pulled away by building a four-run advantage through five innings before breaking open the game with a seven-run seventh frame.
Looking ahead, VCU will travel to face first-place Saint Joseph’s from May 8-10 as they continue their Atlantic 10 schedule; all three games are scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+.
