Spiers Helps R-MC to DH Sweep of E&H

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ASHLAND, Va. – Freshman Rick Spiers (South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) went 4 for 5 in the opener with three runs and earned the victory in the nightcap as the 19th-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team swept an ODAC doubleheader from Emory & Henry Saturday afternoon at Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.

The Yellow Jackets (22-7, 13-7 ODAC) took the opener 13-0 before pulling out a 4-2 win over the Wasps (7-27, 3-17) in Game 2.

R-MC scored multiple runs in four of its eight at-bats in Game 1. Junior Michael Kroll (Virginia Beach, Va./Cape Henry) had an RBI double and scored in a three-run third. Freshman Cole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) had a two-run single to cap a three-run fifth as the score grew to 6-0. Sophomore Stuart Brown (Midlothian, Va./Trinity) delivered a two-run single in the seventh to make it 8-0. Junior Nick Maiolo (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) had a two-run double to highlight a five-run eighth.

Migliorini finished with three hits and three RBI, while Maiolo drove in three and scored twice. Sophomore Herminio Azor (Fairfax, Va./Robinson) went 3 for 4 in his first collegiate start with a double and two runs.

Junior James Walsh (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) pitched six scoreless innings with four hits and 10 strikeouts to raise his record to 5-1. Sophomore Nic Phelps (Richmond, Va./Mills Godwin) allowed two hits in two innings with one strikeout, while junior Branon Kincaid (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) surrendered one hit in the ninth in preserving the shutout.

The Yellow Jackets struggled at the plate in the nightcap. After E&H put up a run in the top of the fifth, junior Mitchell Keeler (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) had a leadoff single in the bottom of the frame, the first hit in the game for R-MC. He was sacrificed to second and scored on a base hit by Brown to level the score at 1-1. Keeler had a two-run single an inning later to put the home team on top 3-1. The Wasps pulled with one in the seventh before the Yellow Jackets added an insurance run in the eighth. Maiolo drew a four-pitch to start the eighth and motored to third on a base hit by Migliorini. Keeler delivered a sacrifice fly to push the margin back to two at 4-2.

Spiers (6-2) worked six innings with four hits, one run and four punchouts to record the victory. Senior JT Williamson (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) gave up a one-out single in the ninth before ending the game on a 4-6-3 double play to register his fifth save.

Randolph-Macon will play in the ODAC Tournament April 23-26 in Lynchburg, Va.