Emory University junior Brett Lake drove in four runs, including three on his first home run of the season, and senior Jared Kahn matched a school record by scoring five runs, as the Eagles went on to defeat Rochester College (Mich.) by a 15-4 score at Chappell Park on Saturday afternoon.
The win was the second-straight for the Eagles, who improved to 8-4 this season and to 4-0 at Chappell Park. Rochester, which opened its season on Saturday, dropped to 0-1 for the campaign.
Emory opened the game with a run in the bottom of the first inning on a sacrifice fly from junior Wes Peacock, but the Warriors answered back with a run in the top of the second to even the score at 1-1. However, the Eagles would take the lead for good in the bottom of the frame, when with two outs and runners on second and third, Rochester starter Alex Riopelle opted to pitch to Lake with a base open. With the green light to swing, Lake deposited a 3-0 pitch over the left field wall, giving the Eagles a lead they would not surrender for the remainder of the game.
Emory scored a run in the fourth on a Warriors error to extend the lead to 5-1, and, after Rochester scored a pair in the top of the fifth, the Eagles broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth with a six-run frame. Emory added on four more in the bottom of the eighth to secure the victory.
Lake finished the game one-for-two with two walks, two runs scored and four RBIs. He is now batting .532 with 19 RBIs through the first 12 games of the season, and has hit safely in 13-straight games dating back to last year.
Playing in just his fourth game of the season, Kahn went two-for-three with three walks and five runs scored, matching the program's single game record, set by Chris McAuley (April 14th , 1999 vs. Oglethorpe and April 7th, 1998 vs. Sewanee), Todd Rasmussen (April 22nd, 2000 vs. Savannah A&D) and Brad Wands (March 7th, 1995 vs. St. John Fisher).
Senior Daniel Iturrey and Peacock each had a pair of RBIs as well, while junior Jordan Selbach went three-for-three with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Emory collected 15 hits in the game, and is now batting .323 as a team this season with an average of over nine runs per game this season.
Emory junior starter Connor Dillman earned the win for the Eagles, pitching a scheduled four innings and allowing one run on four hits and three walks, while striking out four, improving to 2-1 for the season with a 1.59 ERA. Freshmen Kyle Monk (two innings) and Andrew Doetsch (one innings) each added scoreless relief appearances for the Eagles. 23 different Emory players (five pitchers and 18 position players) saw action during Saturday's game for the Eagles.
Riopelle took the loss for Rochester, falling to 0-1 on the campaign.
The Eagles and the Warriors will wrap up their series at Chappell Park tomorrow, with the first pitch scheduled for 11:00 AM.