Butler Helps No. 20 R-MC Baseball Power Past E&H in ODAC DH

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EMORY, Va. - Junior Jeff Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) went 5 for 9 with three home runs and eight RBI as the 20th-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team belted eight dingers in powering past Emory & Henry Saturday afternoon to begin ODAC play.

The Yellow Jackets (8-2, 2-0 ODAC) took Game 1 by a score of 19-6 and won the second game 22-5 in seven innings over the Wasps (7-3, 0-2 ODAC).

In the opener, sophomore Shawn Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) had an RBI single to spark a four-run second as R-MC took the lead for good. Junior Cole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) went deep in the third to make it 5-0. The Yellow Jackets led 5-1 after three before a grand slam by Butler sparked a nine-run fourth as the lead grew to 14-1. Sophomore Reece Yeargain (Richmond, Va./Benedictine) added a three-run dinger in the fourth. Sophomore Michael Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) had a two-run homer in the sixth and Butler went deep again in the seventh.

Butler drove in five, as did Yeargain (4 for 4, 4 R). Senior Joseph Tuzzolo (Newport News, Va./Menchville) went 3 for 4 with three runs and two RBI.

Junior Colin Selby (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) earned the victory, going five innings with five hits, one unearned run, one walk and seven strikeouts to raise his record to 3-1.

E&H put up two in the bottom of the first in Game 2 before R-MC put up 13 in the top of the second. Yeargain had a two-run double to start the scoring, and a grand slam by Tuzzolo made it 9-2. A two-run single by Butler capped the 13-run uprising.

Butler had a solo homer and Tuzzolo added a two-run shot in the sixth.

Tuzzolo went 3 for 4 with four runs and seven RBI, while Butler and sophomore Ryan Duphorn (Erial, N.J./Paul VI) both had three hits, two runs and three RBI. Two of Duphorn's three hits were doubles.

Randolph-Macon returns to action on Tuesday, March 13 with a 3:30 p.m. home contest against Ferrum.