LEXINGTON, Va. -- The Washington and Lee baseball team opened conference play with a doubleheader split with Emory & Henry on Sunday afternoon at Cap'n Dick Smith Field.
The Generals (4-6, 1-1 ODAC) dropped the opener, 5-3, before pounding out 14 hits and drawing nine walks in winning the nightcap, 15-3, over the Wasps (3-7, 1-1).
In the opener, W&L took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as junior Jonathan Stutts (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day) lofted a leadoff homerun to left field after working the count full.
E&H struck for four runs in the third inning to take a three-run lead (4-1). Senior Remington Hedgepeth (Winston Salem, N.C./Home Schooled) hit a two-run double with one out for a 2-1 E&H lead. He then scored on an RBI-single by junior Logan Ball (Honaker, Va./Honaker). Ball then came around to score on a double and a fielding error by the Generals for the Wasps' final run of the inning.
The Wasps added another run in the fourth on a fielding error at second base.
W&L scored its final run of the contest in the fourth as junior Chris Nault (Atlanta, Ga./Riverwood) hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield that scored sophomore Kyle Witty (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman), who had singled to lead off the inning.
Senior Jody Davis (McLean, Va./Langley) started and took the loss (1-2), allowing four runs on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 2.1 innings. Senior Pat Smith (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) relieved Davis and allowed one run on six hits, three walks and three strikeouts in 5.2 innings of relief.
Senior Zach Jones (Fries, Va./Grayson County) started and earned the win for E&H. He allowed two runs on seven hits with no walks and two strikeouts in 7.0 strong innings.
Stutts led the Generals at the plate, going 2-for-5. In addition to his homer, he doubled and finished with a run and an RBI. Witty and junior Luke Deary (Carlisle, Mass./Groton School) both finished 1-for-3, with Witty adding a run scored.
McMillian finished 3-for-5 with a run scored and Hedgepeth was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run.
In the second game, W&L took advantage of some errant E&H pitching to rack up season-highs in runs (15), hits (14), while tying its season-high with nine free passes drawn.
After E&H took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, W&L struck for six runs in the bottom of the frame to assume control of the contest.
After senior Alston James (Columbia, S.C./Hammond) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, first-year Nick Biumi (Cumming, Ga./Lambert), senior Mike Decembrino (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) and Stutts each drew bases-loaded walks to push the Generals in front, 3-2. Junior Will Salley (Augusta, Ga./Westside) then hit a bases-loaded double to left that scored three more runs and put the Generals up 6-2.
W&L added a pair of runs in both the third and fourth innings to go up 10-2. After Biumi scored on a wild pitch in the fifth to make it 11-2 in favor of the Blue and White, the Generals added four more runs, including scoring runs on a wild pitch, a passed ball and a Biumi RBI single, in the sixth to cap the scoring.
Stutts finished 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs scored and an RBI. Biumi was 2-for-4 with three runs driven in and two run scored. Junior Alex Mait (Chesterfield, Va./Clover Hill) was 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI and Salley finished 1-for-3 with the three runs driven in.
Junior Ian Shaw (Atlanta, Ga./Riverwood) started and picked up his second win of the season (2-1) with 6.0 solid innings. He allowed three runs (0 ER) on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Junir Eric Wisotsky (West Windsor, N.J./Plainsboro North), first-year Matt Hedberg (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) and junior Andy Clifford (Matthews, N.C./Charlotte Christian) each tossed a scoreless inning of relief.
Junior Jessup Lambert (Fries, Va./Grayson County) started for the Wasps and took the loss, lasting only 1.2 innings. He surrendered six runs on two hits and four walks.
Ball led E&H, going 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of runs scored. Sophomore Bransen Christopher (Hickory, N.C./Hickory) was 2-for-3 with a triple and sophomore Brogan Hoover (Stephens City, Va./Sherando) added one hit in two at-bats with a pair of runs driven in.
The Generals are off until Thursday when they travel to Ferrum for a 3:00 pm contest.
--GENERALS--