ASHLAND, Va. - Sophomore catcher Reece Yeargain (Richmond, Va./Benedictine) had six hits, including four in the opener, and Junior Nick Roth (Henrico, Va./Benedictine) combined with two relievers on a two-hit shutout in the nightcap, as the sixth-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team swept an ODAC doubleheader from Eastern Mennonite Saturday afternoon on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.
The Yellow Jackets (24-3-1, 14-1 ODAC) took Game 1 by a score of 8-2 and blanked the Royals (11-21, 2-12 ODAC) 7-0 in Game 2. R-MC has won 10 straight and is unbeaten in its past 13 contests.
Yeargain went 6 for 8 on the day with three doubles, three runs and one RBI. He went 4 for 4 in the opener with two runs and one RBI, while going 2 for 4 with two doubles in Game 2.
Junior Colin Selby (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) was the starter and winner in Game 1. Selby (7-1) allowed four hits, three walks and one run in seven innings with eight strikeouts.
Roth (7-0) gave up a pair of singles in seven innings in Game 2. He walked one and fanned eight. Senior Cody Thompson (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) tossed a perfect eighth with one strikeout, and senior Christian Cok (Chester, S.C./Lewisville) retired the side in order in the ninth with two groundouts and a lineout to preserve the shutout.
In the opener, R-MC scratched for a run in the first. Sophomore Ryan Duphorn (Erial, N.J./Paul VI) had a base hit up the middle, stole second, moved to third on an errant throw on the steal attempt, and came home on a groundout by senior Cole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) to give the Yellow Jackets an early 1-0 lead.
After EMU tied it in the second, R-MC reclaimed the lead in the fifth. Sophomore Zach Evans (Fort Mill, S.C./Seneca) drew a one-out walk and was forced out at second when Duphorn reached on a fielder's choice. Duphorn stole second and scored on a base hit by junior Jeff Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) to give the home team a 2-1 advantage.
The Yellow Jackets added to their lead in the sixth. Senior Joseph Tuzzolo (Newport News, Va./Menchville) hit his conference-leading eighth homer of the season with one away to make it a 3-1 contest. Yeargain doubled to right center, stole third and scored on a wild pitch to up the lead to 4-1. Duphorn added a two-run single later in the frame as R-MC took a 6-1 advantage.
In the seventh, Spiers reached on an error and scored on a two-out single by Yeargain to extend the lead to 7-1. Yeargain would score on an error to make it an 8-1 game. EMU added a run in the eighth to make the final 8-2.
Duphorn had two hits, two runs and two RBI for R-MC.
The Yellow Jackets struck quickly in Game 2. Duphorn had a leadoff triple to right center and came home on a single by Butler to give R-MC a 1-0 edge.
R-MC added to its run total in the third. Migliorini had a two-out single to right and Spiers crushed a homer to left, his second of the season, as the lead grew to 3-0.
The Yellow Jackets tallied two more in the fourth. Yeargain had a leadoff double and came home on a base hit by sophomore Shawn Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge). Nickles would score on a sacrifice fly by Evans as the advantage grew to 5-0.
R-MC added a run in the sixth as Shawn Nickles drew a leadoff walk, stole second and came home on a single by his brother, sophomore Michael Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) as the Yellow Jackets went up 6-0.
The final run for the Yellow Jackets came in the eighth as Evans had a leadoff single moved to second on a walk to Duphorn and came home on a base hit by Migliorini to make the final 7-0.
Spiers finished with three hits and two RBI.
Randolph-Macon hits the road for a 4 p.m. ODAC contest at Hampden-Sydney on Wednesday, April 18.