WASHINGTON, Pa. --- Sophomore Rick Spiers (South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) pitched his first nine-inning complete game of the season and junior Jordan Schmeer (Richmond, Va./Benedictine) threw out the potential tying run at the plate to end the game as second-ranked and second-seeded Randolph-Macon edged third-seeded Wooster 2-1 Thursday evening to remain undefeated in the Mideast Regional of the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament at Ross Memorial Park.
The Yellow Jackets (34-6-1) advance to face top-seeded LaRoche on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the finals of the winner's bracket. The Fighting Scots (35-12) meet No. 8 Widener at 1:15 p.m. on Friday in an elimination game.
Spiers (6-4) allowed eight hits and two walks with a season-high nine strikeouts. He allowed a run in the first and blanked Wooster the rest of the way.
In the top of the ninth, Spiers retired the first two hitters before surrendering a single to center by Chandler Dippman. Jake Stuursma entered as a pinch-runner for the Scots. Leadoff hitter Jake Fling ripped a double into the left field corner. SophomoreCole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) picked up the ball and hit second baseman Schmeer, who had entered the game in the eighth as a defensive replacement. Schmeer threw a strike to senior catcher Mitchell Keeler(Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee), who put the tag on Stuursma to end the contest.
Wooster plated a run in the top of the first and it took until the fifth for R-MC to answer. The Yellow Jackets stranded five in the first four frames, including four in scoring position. R-MC left the bases loaded in the fourth. Freshman Jeffrey Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) had a leadoff double down the left field line in the fifth and was sacrificed to third by senior Christian Sanderson (Lynchburg, Va./Jefferson Forest). Senior Michael Trentham (Midlothian, Va./James River) grounded out to third, bringing home Butler with the tying run.
The Yellow Jackets took the lead in the sixth. Senior Nick Maiolo (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) had a leadoff double down the left field line and moved to third when Keeler flew out to right. Migliorini hit a chopper to short that was ruled an error, allowing Maiolo to score and give R-MC a 2-1 advantage.
R-MC had at least one base-runner in each inning. Butler reached base three times, going 2 for 2, was hit by a pitch and scored once.
--- This release is courtesy of the Randolph-Macon College sports information department. ---
www.rmcathletics.com