TYSONS, Va. -- VCU’s offense erupted for 18 runs on 14 hits Saturday afternoon to force a second championship game at Capital One Park, outlasting Rhode Island 18-16 in a wild Atlantic 10 Championship first final.

The Black and Gold Rams, which had lost to URI earlier in the week, topped Saint Joseph’s in the consolation bracket final earlier in the day, and then beat Rhody in a four-hour marathon Saturday to force a second championship game. The final championship matchup will take place Sunday at noon.
The two Rams programs combined for 34 runs, 30 hits and seven home runs in a back-and-forth contest that remained competitive deep into the late innings. VCU improved to 36-23 with the win.

VCU opened the scoring in the first inning when Nick Flores lined an RBI double down the left field line to bring home Dante DeFranco. Rhode Island responded immediately in the bottom half, capitalizing on early traffic on the bases to take a 3-1 lead behind RBI opportunities from Jack Hopko and Ryan King.

The game shifted in the second inning when VCU put together a five-run frame. After an infield error allowed two runs to score, Jacob Lee delivered one of the game’s biggest moments with a three-run home run to deep center field, giving VCU a 6-3 advantage.

Rhode Island continued to answer offensively. Brian Connolly drove in two runs with a single in the second inning, and the URI lineup consistently pressured VCU pitching throughout the game. Scott Penney launched a two-run homer in the fourth, while Danny Leikus and TJ Gormley delivered back-to-back home runs during a four-run fifth inning that cut into the deficit.

VCU produced timely offense of its own. Quinn Maher tripled and scored in the third inning before later adding a run-scoring ground-rule double in the fourth. Maher finished with a standout performance, reaching base four times while scoring three runs and collecting both a triple and a double.
Teige Lethert also played a major role in the VCU attack, recording three hits and three RBI, including a two-run single in the eighth inning that provided important insurance runs. Flores added three hits and two RBI, while Lee finished with four RBIs on the afternoon.

Rhode Island remained within striking distance thanks to the middle of its lineup. Leikus had a huge offensive game with two home runs and five RBI, while Penney scored four runs and added a homer of his own. Ryan Henschel also homered in the seventh inning as Rhode Island continued to apply pressure late.

VCU answered again in the seventh inning with four runs, taking advantage of aggressive baserunning and a series of defensive miscues to extend the lead. DeFranco, Michael Petite and Lethert each drove in runs during the inning as VCU regained momentum.

Even after falling behind by multiple runs, Rhode Island continued to fight back in the eighth inning with RBI hits from Leikus and additional pressure on the bases, trimming the deficit once more before VCU closed the door in the final innings.

Cooper Campbell earned the win for VCU after recording the final four outs, while the VCU defense also contributed two double plays during key moments of the game.