LYNCHBURG, Va. - Junior Rick Spiers (South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) allowed one unearned run over seven innings and had two extra-base hits with two runs and two RBI to lead the third-seeded Randolph-Macon baseball team over top-seeded Shenandoah 7-5 on Saturday afternoon at City Stadium on Day 2 of the ODAC Tournament.
The Yellow Jackets (26-14) stayed alive in the tournament and will face sixth-seeded Roanoke in an elimination game on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The winner of that game advances to Championship Monday. The Hornets (35-7) will play an elimination game at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Spiers made his first start of the season for R-MC after 14 relief appearances. His longest previous stint was 4.0 innings He scattered nine hits, did not walk a batter and struck out two. Junior Cody Thompson (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) pitched the ninth with two hits and a run to earn his second save.
At the plate, Spiers went 2 for 4 with a double, a triple, two runs and two RBI.
The Yellow Jackets started the scoring in the top of the second. Spiers had a leadoff double down the right field line, moved to third on a single by senior Blake Saathoff (Catonsville, Md./Archbishop Spalding) and scored on a fielder's choice by senior Stuart Brown (Midlothian, Va./Trinity) to give R-MC a 1-0 lead.
SU tied the game with a run in the fifth before the Yellow Jackets took the lead for good in the sixth. Sophomore Jeff Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) had a one-out single and advanced to second on a walk to junior Cole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge). Spiers crushed a triple to left center to give R-MC a 3-1 advantage. Spiers scored on a fielder's choice by Saathoff as the lead grew to 4-1.
R-MC added a pair in the eighth. Butler reached on an error with one away and Migliorini singled up the middle to push Butler to second. Following a pitching change, Butler and Migliorini pulled off a double steal on the first pitch. With two away, senior Jay Patti (Sparks, Md./Hereford) doubled to right to give the Yellow Jackets a 6-1 advantage.
The Hornets put up three in the bottom of the eighth to pull within two at 6-4. R-MC added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Brown struck out, but reached on a passed ball. He was sacrificed to second by sophomore Ian Pape (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) and moved to third on a wild pitch. Freshman Zach Evans (Fort Mill, S.C./Seneca) delivered a sacrifice fly to right to bring home Brown and give the Yellow Jackets a 7-4 advantage. SU tallied one in the bottom of the ninth to make the final 7-5.
Spiers, Migliorini and Butler each scored twice.