Trojans' Champagne is Toast of Baseball Tourney as Virginia State Cruises to Title
MVP Homers Three Times

April 27, 2003

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PETERSBURG, VA-Around the campus the Virginia State University, the baseball team is commonly referred to as the “Hit Squad”. In Saturday’s CIAA Baseball Championship, the Trojans lived up to their nickname by their convincing dismantling of the Saint Augustine’s Falcons 20-3 at Whaley Colbert Field.

2003 CIAA Baseball Champions Virginia State University

Leading the Trojans’ arsenal was junior, Newport News, VA native Dennis Champagne who went 3-4, including 3 home runs and 8 RBIs.

VSU (20-16) got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of 1st inning when John Curia’s RBI double drove in Amory Capers. Then PJ Berry scored the Trojans second run on a wild pitch by Milton Parker, Jr. in the bottom of the 2nd.

In the 3rd inning the Falcons tied the contest in a very unconventional way. First, with runners on 2nd and 3rd, Berry was called for a balk, allowing Aaron Chambers to score and Jermaine McDougald to advance. Then on the very next pitch, McDougald stole home to knot the game a 2 runs apiece.

Then, in the Trojans’ half of the inning, the “Hit Squad” took over. In what could only be described as a Trojan explosion, VSU went on a tear, scoring 10 runs on 5 hits and 1 error. First, they would regain the lead when an errant throw by Falcon shortstop Godfrey Burnside scored the Trojans’ Shyrone Palms. Then Parker, Jr. walked consecutive batters to give VSU it’s second 2-run lead of the day (4-2). With the bases loaded Rolando Pierce smashed a 2 RBI single to stretch the lead to 6-2 in favor of the Trojans. Then, Capers would single to right field to load the bases and afterwards Parker, Jr. walked his eighth batter of the inning to give the Trojans a 5-run advantage.

The Falcons then reached to their bullpen and called on Craig Davis to face John Curia. With only one out, Curia took a strike and then singled on the second pitch to drive in 2 more runs. After a force out a second, with two men on Champagne stepped to the plate and slammed a 3-run homer to right center field to give the Trojans a ten run advantage.

After a blank 4th inning by both teams, Champagne thrilled fans in the 5th as he took Davis deep for the second time with a 2-run home run. The onslaught would continue as VSU would add six runs in the 6th inning including MVP Champagne’s third dinger of the day, as he dialed long distance with a 3 run shot to left center field to give the Trojans a 20-2 lead. The Trojans would score runs in all but three innings (4,7,8).

On the other hand the Falcons (11-23) only managed to score once more in the 7th on an RBI double by CIAA Rookie of the Year and All-Tournament selection Charles Whitaker.