Roth Fans 15 as #13 R-MC Baseball Reclaims First Place in ODAC

More news about: Randolph-Macon

SALEM, Va. - Senior right-hander Nick Roth (Henrico, Va./Benedictine) fanned a career-high 15 in seven scoreless innings as the 13th-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team swept an ODAC doubleheader at Roanoke on Saturday afternoon to move past the Maroons into first place in the conference standings.

The Basics

Scores: Game 1: Randolph-Macon 12, Roanoke 1

Game 2: Randolph-Macon 3, Roanoke 0

Location/Venue: Salem, Va./Kiwanis Field

Records: R-MC 17-6-1, 12-3-1 ODAC; RC 15-14, 12-4 ODAC

How It Happened

Game 1

  • Roth scattered five hits and walked one in raising his record to 6-0. He was two strikeouts away from the program record of 17, set by Travis Beazley in 2006. Roth raised his career record to 22-2 and tied Tim Landis (1982-86) for the program record for career victories.
  • The Yellow Jackets scored multiple runs in two of the first four innings. In the top of the first, junior outfielder Ryan Duphorn (Erial, N.J./Paul VI) had a leadoff single and moved to third when senior second baseman Jeff Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) reached on an error. Junior third baseman Mike Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) singled, plating Duphorn with the first run. Junior catcher Reece Yeargain (Chester, Va./Benedictine) had a sacrifice fly to bring home Butler and junior outfielder Shawn Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) had a base hit to drive in his brother Mike as R-MC took a 3-0 lead.
  • Yeargain had a leadoff homer in the third as the Yellow Jacket advantage grew to 4-0.
  • R-MC took complete control in the fourth. Yeargain had a two-run single and Shawn Nickles belted a three-run homer as R-MC went up 9-0.
  • In the sixth, sophomore DH Kevin Mooney (Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown) had a leadoff single and scored on a base hit by Duphorn to make it 10-0.
  • Mike Nickles had a leadoff triple in the seventh and came home when Yeargain reached on an error as the lead grew to 11-0.
  • After the Maroons tallied an unearned run in the eighth, R-MC finished the scoring in the ninth. Sophomore pinch-hitter Andrew Teixeira (Virginia Beach, Va./Cox) had a leadoff double and scored on a single by senior pinch-hitter Ryan Doggett (Richmond, Va./The Steward School) to make the final 12-1.

By The Numbers - Game 1

  • Yeargain went 2 for 3 with a walk, two runs and five RBI.
  • Shawn Nickles was 2 for 4 with four RBI.
  • Mike Nickles went 3 for 5 with three runs and one RBI.
  • Duphorn also had three hits.

Game 2

  • Junior right-hander Michael Zubovich (Chantilly, Va./Freedom) continued the dominant starting pitching in Game 2. Zubovich (5-0) tossed seven scoreless innings with three hits, three walks and eight strikeouts.
  • Senior righty Tommy Barron (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale) earned his second save by working two scoreless frames. He surrendered three ground-ball singles in the ninth with two away, but struck out the final batter to preserve the shutout.
  • R-MC would start the scoring in the third. Junior shortstop Zach Evans (Fort Mill, S.C./Seneca) reached second on an error with one away. Senior outfielder Matthew Blaise (Clifton, Va./Centreville) walked and Duphorn was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Senior second baseman Jeff Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) walked to drive in Evans as the Yellow Jackets took a 1-0 lead. Blaise came home on a groundout by Mike Nickles as R-MC went up 2-0.
  • In the sixth, Mike Nickles had a leadoff single and scored on an error as the Yellow Jackets assumed a 3-0 advantage.
  • R-MC was held to four hits in the nightcap.

By The Numbers

  • R-MC's starting pitchers combined to hurl 14 scoreless innings with eight hits, four walks and 23 strikeouts.

Up Next

  • Randolph-Macon travels to Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday, April 17 for a 3:30 p.m. ODAC contest.