ARLINGTON, Va. (Interstat) — The Virginia Military Institute Keydets erupted for eight runs in the first three innings and a parade of six relievers combined for 7 2/3 innings of no-hit ball to secure an 8-5 victory over the George Washington Revolutionaries on Tuesday afternoon and evening at Barcroft Park.

The Keydets (20-4) jumped on George Washington starter D. Wywoda immediately. Owen Prince and Ayden Schnar opened the game with singles, and Grayson Fitz followed with a two-run double down the right-field line. VMI sent eight men to the plate in the first, setting an early tone.

George Washington (8-15) responded in the bottom half against VMI starter Justin Spiegel, who recorded just one out. After J. Kent reached on an error and stole second, Charlie Rogan launched a two-run homer to center field, cutting the deficit to 2-0. Both runs were unearned.

The Revolutionaries clawed closer in the second against reliever Trace Monroe. C. Walsh doubled and scored on an RBI single from C. Tufano, who then came home on a sacrifice bunt by J. Kent. The Revolutionaries capitalized on two VMI errors in the frame, pulling within 3-2, with both runs again unearned.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the top of the third inning, as VMI broke the game open by batting around and scoring five runs on just three hits. The Keydets leveraged three walks, a hit batter, and timely hitting to stretch their lead. With the bases loaded, Seth Buchana and Cole Cook drew back-to-back walks to force in runs. Gabe Jenkins then worked another bases-loaded walk, and Owen Prince capped the rally with an RBI walk of his own, making it 8-2. The inning saw three George Washington pitchers struggle to find the strike zone, ultimately putting the game out of reach.

From that point forward, the VMI bullpen took complete control. After Monroe allowed two unearned runs in the second, Hunter Sipe entered in the fourth inning with two on and one out. He struck out N. Mullen looking to escape the jam, beginning a historic run of relief dominance. Sipe was credited with the win after pitching three scoreless innings, allowing just one walk while striking out three.

He was followed by Tyler Bassett, Buddy Baker, and Andrew Jones, who each pitched a perfect inning of relief. Combined with Sipe and the final out recorded by Monroe, the six VMI relievers retired 23 of the final 25 George Washington batters they faced, allowing no hits and only two walks over the final 7 2/3 innings. The Revolutionaries’ final run scored in the seventh on an RBI single by pinch-hitter B. Freker, which followed a hit batter and an error, making it 8-5.

George Washington’s bullpen also found success after the rocky third. Jasper Nadel struck out four over 2 2/3 hitless innings, while Drew Oppenheim and Colin Lebel combined for four innings of one-run relief. Rogan finished 2 for 4 with the two-run homer to lead the Revolutionaries’ offense.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded under the lights, saw VMI outhit George Washington 11-10. Both teams recorded two sacrifice hits. The victory extended VMI’s strong start to the season, while George Washington fell to 8-15.

The Keydets are scheduled to begin a three-game series at East Tennessee State on Friday. The Revolutionaries will host La Salle for a three-game set starting the same day. The two teams are set to meet again on April 7 in Lexington, Virginia.