ASHLAND, Va. – Junior Rick Spiers (South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) drove in six and pitched 3.1 scoreless innings in relief as the sixth-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team took two from RPI in a doubleheader Sunday afternoon on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.
The Yellow Jackets (5-0) won the opener 10-4 before blanking the Engineers (0-3) 7-0 in the nightcap to complete the three-game series sweep.
Spiers went 2 for 4 with four RBI in Game 1 before driving in a pair in the nightcap. He allowed one hit in 3.1 innings of relief in Game 2 with no walks and three strikeouts.
In Game 1, the Yellow Jackets started the scoring in the bottom of the third. Sophomore Ryan Hickman (Ruther Glen, Va./Caroline) had a leadoff single to right center and was sacrificed to second by senior Jordan Schmeer (Richmond, Va./Benedictine). Freshman Ryan Duphorn (Erial, N.J./Paul VI) doubled to left center to plate Hickman with the game's first run. Duphorn moved to third on a base hit by sophomore Jeff Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) and scored on a groundout by Spiers to make it 2-0.
R-MC added to its lead in the fourth. Senior Stuart Brown (Midlothian, Va./Trinity) was hit by a pitch with one away and moved to second on a bunt single by senior Blake Saathoff (Catonsville, Md./Archbishop Spalding). Brown scored when Hickman reached on an error to up the lead to 3-0. Butler drew a bases loaded walk to make it 4-0. Spiers had a two-run single to make it 6-0. Butler and Spiers pulled off a double steal and both scored on a pair of errors as the home team took an 8-0 advantage.
After a homer by Ethann Meister of the Engineers in the top of the sixth, the Yellow Jackets answered with a pair in the bottom of the frame. Hickman had a leadoff double into the right field corner, moved to third on a base hit by Schmeer and scored on a single by Duphorn. Schmeer came home on a double by Spiers to make it a 10-1 ballgame. RPI added one in the seventh and two in the eighth to make the final 10-4.
Duphorn had two hits, two runs and two RBI for R-MC. Hickman had two hits and three runs, while Schmeer added two hits and a pair of runs for the Yellow Jackets.
Freshman Matthew Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) earned the win in his first collegiate start, going 4.0 scoreless innings with three hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
The Yellow Jackets started quickly in Game 2. Saathoff had a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, stole second, advanced to third on a base hit by Butler and scored on a sacrifice fly by Spiers to give the home team a 1-0 lead.
RPI threatened in the middle innings, but could not score. Sophomore Colin Selby (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) issued a pair of one-out walks in the third before a diving catch by Sathoff in center and a pop out to second ended the threat. Against sophomore Jake Ottinger (Glen Allen, Va./Benedictine) in the fourth, Meister had a leadoff triple to right center. But a pop out to short, a foul out to the second baseman down the right field line, and a strikeout swinging kept Meister at third. The Engineers loaded the bases with two away in the fifth. Spiers took the mound and coaxed a foul out to first to keep RPI off the board.
R-MC built on its lead in the bottom of the fifth. With one away, Schmeer, Saathoff and Butler had consecutive singles to load the bases. Spiers was hit by a pitch to force in Schmeer and make it 2-0. A fielder's choice by junior Cole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) plated Saathoff to raise the score to 3-0. Migliorini was picked off first and caught in a rundown. Butler scored before Migliorini was tagged out, giving the Yellow Jackets a 4-0 advantage.
The Yellow Jackets put the game away with three in the sixth. With one away, sophomore Ian Pape (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a base hit by sophomore Matthew Blaise (Clifton, Va./Centreville) and scored on a single by senior Jay Patti (Sparks, Md./Hereford). Blaise came home on a single by Saathoff and Patti came in on an error to make the final 7-0.
Selby (1-0) started and pitched three hitless innings with two walks and three strikeouts to earn the victory. Ottinger (1.2 IP, 2 H, BB, K), Spiers and junior Christian Cok (Chester, S.C./Lewisville) (1 IP, K) combined on the shutout.
Saathoff went 3 for 5 with two runs and one RBI in the nightcap.
Randolph-Macon returns to action on Wednesday with a 2 p.m. contest at Christopher Newport.