ASHLAND, Va. – Senior James Walsh (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) tossed eight scoreless innings and senior Travis Lodge belted a three-run homer in the opener as the ninth-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team split an ODAC doubleheader with Bridgewater Saturday afternoon on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.
The Yellow Jackets (13-2, 2-2 ODAC) took Game 1 by a score of 8-0, while the Eagles (11-7, 2-2 ODAC) claimed the nightcap 5-4.
Walsh allowed four hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in raising his record to 4-0. Sophomore Cody Thompson (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) fanned two in the ninth to preserve the shutout.
In the opener, R-MC started the scoring in the second. Junior Herminio Azor (Fairfax, Va./Robinson) had a leadoff single and moved to second on a base hit by senior Michael Kroll (Virginia Beach, Va./Cape Henry). Senior Christian Sanderson (Lynchburg, Va./Jefferson Forest) reached on an error on his sacrifice bunt, loading the bases. Freshman Jeffrey Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) hit into a double play, plating Azor with the game's first run. Sophomore Rick Spiers (South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) reached on a bunt single before belted his fifth home run of the season to give the Yellow Jackets a 4-0 lead.
R-MC added to its lead in the fifth. Lodge had a leadoff double and scored on a two-bagger by senior Nick Maiolo (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan). Maiolo would score on a base hit by Azor to give the home team a 6-0 advantage.
R-MC tallied two more in the sixth. Spiers had a leadoff single and stole second. Junior Stuart Brown (Midlothian, Va./Trinity) walked to give the Yellow Jackets two on and none out. Spiers would score on a base hit by sophomore Cole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) and Brown would come home on a safety squeeze by senior Mitchell Keeler (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) to give R-MC an 8-0 lead.
Lodge finished with two hits, two runs and three RBI, while Spiers added two hits and two runs.
In Game 2, Maiolo hit his first homer of the season in the bottom of the first as R-MC took an early 1-0 lead.
After BC tied it in the top of the second, R-MC responded in the bottom of the frame. Trentham drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on a base hit by Brown to give the home team a 2-1 advantage.
The Eagles tallied two in the fourth and two in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead.
The Yellow Jackets got one back in the seventh as junior Jay Patti (Sparks, Md./Hereford) tripled to right center and scored on a groundout by Sanderson to make it 5-3.
R-MC made it a one-run game in the eighth. Migliorini had a leadoff double to left and came home on a base hit by Brown to make it a 5-4 contest. The Yellow Jackets were retired in order in the ninth.
Brown went 3 for 4 with two RBI in the nightcap.
Randolph-Macon returns to action on Tuesday, March 15, for a 3:30 p.m. home contest against Catholic on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.