ASHLAND, Va. – Junior James Walsh (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) hurled a three-hit shutout in the opener as the 23rd-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team split a Senior Day doubleheader with York on Saturday afternoon at Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.
The Yellow Jackets (26-10) took Game 1 by the score of 6-0 before the Spartans (14-20) won the nightcap 7-2.
It was the final home appearance for R-MC's five seniors: Brandon Beiler (Paradise, Pa./Pequea Valley), Glenn McLaughlin (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman), Nate Meiners (Silver Spring, Md./St. John's Prep), James Overbeek (Arlington, Va./Yorktown) and JT Williamson (Springfield, Va./West Springfield). McLaughlin was injured this season and could not pitch for the Yellow Jackets. He threw the ceremonial first pitch prior to Game 1. Each of the other four seniors saw action on Saturday afternoon.
Walsh (7-1) allowed three singles and one walk in nine innings in the opener with nine strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 1.80 and has 85 strikeouts in 75 innings.
R-MC scored in each of its first three at-bats. Freshman Rick Spiers (South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) had a leadoff double in the bottom of the first, moved to third on a fly ball by Meiners and came home on a sacrifice fly to center by junior Nick Maiolo (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan).
Keeler led off the second with his second home run of the season to push the lead to 2-0. Keeler had a two-run single to cap a three-run third as the Yellow Jackets built a 5-0 advantage.
Maiolo smacked his fifth homer of the season to lead off the fifth and extend the lead to 6-0.
Freshman Cole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) finished with three hits, one run and one RBI, while Keeler had two hits and three RBI. Maiolo was 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBI.
York scored four in the top of the first in Game 2 and did not allow R-MC to come back. The Yellow Jackets had nine hits, but stranded 10. They left the bases loaded in each of the first two innings.
Keeler went 3 for 4, giving him five hits on the day. Spiers had two hits and a run, while Meiners added two hits as well.
Randolph-Macon has concluded its regular season and must wait until Monday, May 11 to learn if it receives an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Yellow Jackets set a program record with 26 wins in a season.