ETTRICK, VA- The Virginia State University baseball team split day 2 of the 2017 CIAA Championships. The Trojans snatched a 7-3 win over the Falcons of St. Augustine's, keeping them from elimination. The Rams of Winston-Salem State took a 16-9 win over VSU, knocking them out of the Championships.

In the SAU contest, although the Trojans were guests on their own field based off of the bracket, junior Jahleel Sewer set the tone for the matchup with a homerun in the first inning. The Falcons answered back in the bottom of the 1^st with a homerun, giving them a 2-1 lead.

The 2^nd and 3^rd innings moved fairly quick as both teams were scoreless. Putting VSU back on the board was senior David Markins with a run, earning Jamar Hinton an RBI. Holding SAU down, the Trojans gained an additional run at the top of the 5^th inning. A sacrifice fly by Markins bought sophomore Sisqo Scott home. Despite no action in the 6^th inning, the Trojans ran in senior Tashaun Taylor, senior Colton Gunn and Markins at the top of the 7^th inning. SAU attempted to battle back with a single run at the bottom of the 7^th, but VSU's defense stayed consistent.

Keeping the 8^th inning scoreless, junior Devon Walker secured the last run of the game at the top of the 9^th inning. The Trojans secured the 7-3 win.

VSU fought hard but fell short in their matchup against WSSU for the championship game spot. The final score of the contest was 16-9.

Earning runs for the Trojans were Taylor, Sewer, Markins, Gunn, senior Julian White and rookie Delmarcus Talley.

The Rams opened the contest with 4 runs, while VSU stepped in with a single run to close out the 1^st inning. WSSU stayed consistent, earning 3 runs at the top of the 2^nd inning. Although the Trojans were scoreless at the bottom of the 2^nd inning, they redeemed themselves with 2 runs in the 3^rd inning.

VSU gained momentum in the 5^th inning, advancing 4 runners home. At the end of 5th, the Trojans trailed WSSU, 8-7. The final points for the Trojans were secured on a wild pitch in the 6^th and 8^th inning. The Rams pulled away in the remainder of the contest, taking the game, 16-9

The Trojans worked hard this season, finishing their season with a 20-26 overall record, 6-11 in the conference.

For more information on VSU Trojans baseball, follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports, or call 804-524-5030.