The Basics
Score: Roanoke 5 | Eastern Mennonite 6
Records: Maroons 21-14 / 10-9 ODAC | Royals 12-21 / 7-12 ODAC
Location: Salem, Va.
The Lead: The Roanoke baseball team hosted Eastern Mennonite in their final Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) double header of the regular season. With a sweep, the Maroons would secure the #4 seed in the upcoming ODAC Baseball Tournament. The rain made for a long day as the final out wasn't recorded until well after midnight after a 3:30pm start. Roanoke led in the opener heading into the eighth inning, two late runs by the Royals would give Eastern Mennonite the win, 6-5. Roanoke continued their power surge, seven total home runs, to pull away for the series split, 12-7.
Highlights:
- In three consecutive innings, Roanoke would get single runs thanks to the long ball. PK Cocolis in the second, Ty Staz in the third, followed by Jeb Byerley would see the Maroons in front, 3-2.
- Trailing 4-3 in the seventh, Conner Butler hit a two-run home run to put Roanoke back in front 5-4.
- An infield single and wild pitch up see the Royals back on top, 6-5. Roanoke would get a runner on in each of their final two at bats but couldn't plate the tying run and fell to Eastern Mennonite.
- Will Turner got the start and left with the lead after fiving innings of work, However, the Roanoke bullpen could not hold the lead, giving up four runs (three earned) in the final four innings.
- Byerley and Staz combined for four of RC's eight hits.
The Basics
Score: Roanoke 12 | Eastern Mennonite 7
Records: Maroons 22-14 / 11-9 ODAC | Royals 12-22 / 7-13 ODAC
Location: Salem, Va.
Highlights:
- Jonny Wall singled to score Owen Lawn and then scored on a Hunter Andrews double to left center to make it 2-0.
- The lead would grow to 3-0 an another Staz long ball in the second.
- After giving up a run in the top half, Roanoke responded with a Tucker Schiavoni sacrifice fly and Mason Staz base hit to make it 5-2.
- In the fourth, Lawn hit a home run over the left field fence. Wall and Byerley scored on Royal miscues and the Maroons were up, 8-3.
- However, three runs for EMU in the fifth would close the gap, 8-6.
- Another Royal run in the sixth would make it a one-run game. Byerley walked and stole second ahead of a third, (Ty) Staz home run and Roanoke would not look back on their way to a 12-7 ODAC win.
- (Ty) Staz was 2-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Wall was 3-4 with four runs and two RBI, Lawn was 3-5 with three runs scored and Byerley finished the night 2-3 with three runs scored.
- Caleb Lingenfelter got the start and the win while the bullpen rebounded from game one with 4.2 innings, giving up just four hits and a run.
Up next: Roanoke will go into the ODAC Tournament as the #6 seed and have a matchup at #3 Randolph-Macon next weekend. The Maroons and Yellow Jackets will play a best 2 of 3 series in Ashland with dates and times TBA.
