WILMINGTON, N.C. – Junior righthander Jesse Haney allowed three hits and struck out five in 7 2/3 innings as No. 27 UNC Wilmington shutout visiting Virginia Commonwealth, 9-0, to take the weekend series from the Rams.

The Seahawks improved to 5-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association and 17-3 overall. The Rams, meanwhile, dropped to 10-7 overall and 1-2 in the circuit.

Haney (2-1) matched his career high with five strikeouts as UNCW posted its second shutout of the season. VCU managed a hit in the second inning before Haney retired the next 11 batters into the sixth inning.

Red-shirt junior Grayson Evans and junior Mike Rooney both had two hits and knocked in a pair of runs to for the Seahawks, who outhit the Rams, 10-5.

Five different Rams had hits on the afternoon as VCU left eight runners on base, including four in scoring position.

Sophomore Cody Stanley plated UNCW’s first run of the contest with a ground ball to short that scored junior Ben Thielsen, who led off the inning with a double to right off losing pitcher freshman Ryan Crosby (3-1). Crosby lasted just 4 2/3 innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits, walked four and struck out one.

The Seahawks added a run in the fourth on a one-out RBI single by Rooney.

UNCW added two runs in the fifth to build a 4-0 lead. Evans scored on a throwing error after stealing third and junior Robbie Monday later scored on another VCU throwing error after being caught too far off third base.

In the sixth, UNCW built a 7-0 lead as three runs scored despite UNCW getting just one hit. VCU reliever Kyle Pelchy walked four and hit a batter before being relieved. Freshman Andrew Cain was hit with the bases loaded to force in the first run and junior Rhett Miller and Rooney followed with consecutive walks to plate the final two runs.

UNCW’s final runs of the afternoon came on Evans’ two-run homer off reliever Darryl Stringfield in the seventh.

Notes: After allowing 18 runs on 20 hits in the opener, UNCW pitching shutdown VCU, allowing just two runs on 10 hits in the second and third games ... UNCW’s other shutout of the season was a 3-0 blanking of Kent State (March 8) ... In his last seven games, Mike Rooney is hitting .414, including 10-14 (.714) with runners in scoring position, with 16 runs batted in ... The Seahawks have dropped just one series to the Rams since 2004 (2006 in Richmond) ... Through six conference games, UNCW is hitting .347 and averaging more than 12 runs per game ... Ben Thielsen and Mike Rooney extended their hitting streaks to a team-best six games ... Head Coach Mark Scalf now needs one more win to tie Bill Brooks’ all-time record of 574 wins at UNCW.