ASHLAND, Va. - Sophomore Shawn Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) smacked a pair of home runs and drove in three as the 18th-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team defeated Marymount 11-1 Wednesday afternoon on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.
The Yellow Jackets (3-0) hit a total of four homers in the victory over the Saints (0-1).
Senior Joseph Tuzzolo (Newport News, Va./Menchville) and junior Grant Huckestein (Manassas, Va./Woodbridge) also went deep for the victors.
R-MC started the scoring in the first. Sophomore Ryan Duphorn (Erial, N.J./Paul VI) drew a leadoff walk and was erased at second on a fielder's choice by senior Cole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge). After moving to second on a wild pitch, senior Rick Spiers (South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) delivered a two-out single to plate Migliorini with the game's first run.
The Yellow Jackets added to their lead in the second. Sophomore Reece Yeargain (Chester, Va./Benedictine) had a one-out base hit and moved to third on a single by sophomore Zach Evans (Fort Mill, S.C./Seneca). Yeargain came home on a groundout by Wilkerson as the home team took a 2-0 advantage.
R-MC doubled its lead in the fourth. Spiers ripped a two-out single to left before Nickles went deep to right center, giving the Yellow Jackets a 4-0 lead.
Junior Jeff Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) laced a two-run double with two away in the fourth as the lead grew to 6-0. Tuzzolo belted a three-run homer in the fifth to expand the lead to 9-0. Nickles and Huckestein had back-to-back dingers in the seventh to make it 11-0. MU tallied its lone run in the ninth.
Nickles had three runs and three RBI, while Yeargain and Spiers both had two hits and two runs.
Junior Tommy Barron (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale) tossed four scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and two strikeouts to earn the victory. He and five relievers combined on the two-hitter.
Randolph-Macon is scheduled to host Alvernia in a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 24 at noon on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.