(Rocky Mount, NC) Eastern Mennonite began their 2014 campaign Friday afternoon as they split a pair of games at North Carolina Wesleyan, winning 2-1 and losing 4-3. EMU will take more than a week off before returning to the field Saturday, February 15 at home in a doubleheader against Penn State – Harrisburg.
EMU 2, N.C. Wesleyan 1
EMU wasted no time getting runs across the plate in the first game of the season. Kyle Armstong (Greenville, VA/Riverheads) singled for the RBI with one out in the first inning to score Ryan McAlister (Bridgewater, VA/Turner Ashby), who had walked in his at-bat.
The Battling Bishops, picked second in the preseason USA South conference rankings, scored in the bottom of the fourth inning as Jason Riley singled to bring home J.J. Rodriguez, which tied the game, 1-1.
But the Royals sealed it in the top of the sixth as Justin Rodriguez (Miramar, FL/Pace) sacrificed flied to center field for the RBI and Jonathan Estrada (Miami, FL/Doral Academy) scored as EMU won 2-1 in the seven inning game.
Estrada and Armstrong, who both went 2-3 at the plate, led the Royals in the victory.
Senior Adam Posey (Poquoson, VA/Poquoson) pitched six innings and struck out seven in the season debut. Posey didn't walk any of the 22 batters he faced. Austin Marzullo (Shippensburg, PA/Shippensburg) secured the save by only allowing one hit in his one inning of work.
N.C. Wesleyan 4, EMU 3
In the second game of the day, the two squads needed a full nine innings to decide a winner. In the bottom of the ninth and with two outs, Ciro Norzagaray tripled to left field and scored Hayden Williams to give the Battling Bishops the 4-3 victory.
NCW plated the first run of the game as Luis Palencia scored in the bottom of the first inning on one of three EMU errors. The Royals evened the score in the next frame as Kyle Armstrong (Greenville, VA/Riverheads) scored, unearned, on a Ryan Hedrick (Bridgewater, VA/Turner Ashby) sacrifice fly.
EMU took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning when Justin Rodriguez (Miramar, FL/Pace) after Ian Norris (Virginia Beach, VA/Salem) singled to right field to grab the RBI.
Kyle Salladay (Chesapeake, VA/Grassfield) scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning and pushed the Royals to the 3-1 lead until the Battling Bishops scored in the bottom of the frame and again in the bottom of the sixth, tying the game 3-3 and requiring more than the seven innings scheduled. The walk-off triple in the bottom of the ninth from Norzagaray completed the opening series for both teams.
Rodriguez went 2-4, leading the Royals at the plate.
Ryan Henschel (New Market, VA/Stonewall Jackson) started the game and struck out two while allowing six hits. Salladay was hit with the loss after pitching 2.1 innings and striking out three. The only hit he gave up was the game-winning triple.
EMU is now 1-1 on the year and will play their home opener on Saturday, February 15 against Penn State – Harrisburg in a doubleheader at noon and 3 p.m.