ASHLAND, Va. – Senior Jay Patti (Sparks, Md./Hereford) had a two-run triple in the bottom of the eighth in Game 2 and scored the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded walk as the 12th-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team split an ODAC doubleheader with first-place Washington & Lee Saturday afternoon on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.
The Yellow Jackets (17-7, 7-3 ODAC) won the nightcap 6-4 after the Generals (19-7, 10-1) took the opener 11-3.
R-MC trailed 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth in Game 2 before senior Stuart Brown (Midlothian, Va./Trinity) and junior pinch-hitter Joseph Tuzzolo (Newport News, Va./Menchville) drew one-out walks. After senior Blake Saathoff (Catonsville, Md./Archbishop Spalding) pinch-ran for Tuzzolo, Patti tripled to right to drive in Brown and Saathoff to level the score at 4-4. Sophomore Ian Pape (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) was hit by a pitch and freshman Zach Evans (Fort Mill, S.C./Seneca) walked to load the bases. Freshman Ryan Duphorn (Erial, N.J./Paul VI) walked to force home Patti with the go-ahead run and senior Jordan Schmeer (Richmond, Va./Benedictine) walked to drive in Pape to make it 6-4.
Junior Christian Cok (Chester, S.C./Lewisville) set W&L down in order in the ninth with two strikeouts and a flyout to preserve the victory.
Cok (1-0) allowed five hits and three runs (two earned) over the final four innings with one walk and five strikeouts to record the win in relief of sophomore Nick Roth III (Henrico, Va./Benedictine), who surrendered four hits and one run in five frames with one walk and three punchouts.
After the Generals plated one in the fourth and three in the sixth, the Yellow Jackets got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Duphorn had a leadoff double and scored on two-out two-bagger by junior Cole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge). Brown doubled home Migliorini to make it a 4-2 contest.
Duphorn and Brown both had two hits, one run and one RBI.
After W&L scored three in the top of the second in the opener, R-MC responded in the bottom of the frame. Tuzzolo drew a one-out walk, moved to second on a base hit by Patti and scored on a double to right center by sophomore Ryan Hickman (Ruther Glen, Va./Caroline). With two away, Patti scored from third when a single by Duphorn hit off the pitcher's leg to make it 3-2.
The Generals scored five times over the next four innings before the Yellow Jackets answered in the seventh. Duphorn drew a leadoff walk, stole second, moved to third on a single by sophomore Jeff Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) and scored on a sacrifice fly by junior Rick Spiers (South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) to make it 8-3. W&L added three runs over the final two frames to make the final 11-3.
Spiers had two hits and one RBI for R-MC.
Matt Wasson hit for the cycle in Game 1 for W&L.
Randolph-Macon is scheduled to host nationally-ranked Christopher Newport on Tuesday, April 4 at 3:30 p.m. on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.