RICHMOND, VA – The VCU  pitching staff was able to limit the Iona College baseball team to just three hits this afternoon to earn a 3-0 victory in the first of a three-game series from Virginia this afternoon.

Sam Ryan earned the victory, his first of the season, by tossing the first four innings with just one hit and one walk allowed coupled with three strikeouts. Jack Alkire logged the next three innings of hitless action with four strikeouts before Michael Dailey and Mac McCarty closed out the final two frames with McCarty notching his eighth save of the season.

Offensively, the Rams (11-8) plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the second to take the early lead. Brett Willet scored the opening tally on a Josh Simon sacrifice fly after leading off the inning with a hit-by-pitch to take first. Hogan Brown followed up with a RBI single to push the advantage to 2-0.

Brown scored the third and final run of the game in the fourth by touching home on a Haiden Lamb sacrifice fly with one out. Brown reached on double to left center with one out before stealing third during Lamb's at-bat.

For the Maroon & Gold (4-10), Derek Becker, Stephen Furman and Niko Switalla each tallied a hit while Fran Kinsey drew two walks. Switalla also added a walk to his day from the DH spot. On the mound, Schuyler Bates started the first six innings with two strikeouts before Jason Goetz and James Gosweiler each logged an inning.

Game two of the weekend series is scheduled for Saturday at 2 pm.