Score: VCU 16, Massachusetts 1
Location: Amherst, Mass. (Earl Lorden Field)
Records: VCU 15-37 (8-20), Massachusetts 14-32-1 (7-21)
 
THE SHORT STORY: VCU baseball pieced together one of the best performances of the season at the plate behind a masterful performance on the mound from graduate student Max Moore to take a series-opening victory over Massachusetts, 16-1.
 
LEADING OFF:

• Max Moore had a career outing, going 7.0 innings, allowing just one run and four hits while striking out six
• Jacob Lee tied Tyler Locklear's freshman record of 16 home runs, belting a pair in the game, and notching six RBI
• Six of VCU's nine starters tallied multiple hits and the Rams' 15 base knocks tied for the second-most this season
• Freshman second baseman Adrian Jimenez notched multiple hits for the 16^th time this season
• Nick Flores had the first four-hit game of his career with a double and a home run, and became just the sixth Ram to hit eight home runs as a freshman

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Down 0-2 in the count, Flores belted a leadoff double up the third-base line and Lee followed with a one-out blast to left field to take a 2-0 lead in just the first three batters
• Sean Swenson and Trent Adelman belted a double and single, respectively, to double the Rams' lead in the first and set the tone for VCU's performance at the plate
• Moore carried his no-hit game into the fourth inning, giving up a leadoff single before retiring the side
• Continuing to add run support by way of the long ball, Casey Kleinman and Flores each belted home runs in the fifth frame, going up 7-0
• On the mound, Moore continued his dominant outing with another 1-2-3 frame before Massachusetts got its second hit of the game in the sixth inning, and a two-out hit scored the Minutemen's lone run
• With a final offensive push in the eighth inning, a Lee grand slam and four Rams' hits combined with a pair of UMass errors allowed VCU to more than double its lead with a nine-run inning, 16-1
• Cooper Campbell and James McGrady finished off the game on the mound for VCU, tossing a scoreless inning each for the Rams' Thursday evening victory

 
UP NEXT:
VCU will continue the series on Friday, May 16, at 1 p.m. before facing the Minutemen in both teams' season finale at noon on Saturday, May 17.