LEXINGTON, Va. – Longwood baseball fell to the nation's leading offense on Tuesday at VMI.
 
The Keydets (18-11) used a big first inning and a couple of home runs to power past the Lancers (8-21) 17-6 in eight innings.
 
Boston Torres and James Newsome both hit grand slams in the first four innings to help VMI pull away early.
 
Longwood rallied in the middle innings, but the deficit was too much. James Nelson had a pair of base hits, and Tre Keels also swatted his sixth home run of the season
 
SCORE:
               R             H            E
LWU      6             5             2
VMI       17           12           5
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
VMI loaded the bases in the first before plating two runs, and then Newsome broke the game open with a grand slam as part of an eight-run inning.
 
The Keydets extended it in the third by loading the bases again, and Torres capped the scoring with a grand slam.
 
Longwood got on the board in the fifth when Mac Tufts scored on a wild pitch, and Nelson doubled home another run.
 
A groundout from Bentley Yeatts trimmed the lead to 15-3, and then Keels swatted his three-run home run in the seventh to trim it to 15-6. He leads Longwood with six home runs this season.
 
VMI finished the game in the eighth with a home run from Grayson Fitzwater for the final tally.

Roberto Velasquez (2-1) earned the win for VMI. He struck out seven in six innings of work while giving up three runs, two earned, on two hits and three walks.

Jake Chadwell (1-1) took the loss for Longwood on the mound.
 
UP NEXT:
 
The Lancers stay on the road for a three-game series at Presbyterian this weekend. First pitch for the series opener is set for Friday night at 6 p.m., and the game will air on ESPN+.
 
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