HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. --- Junior Nick Roth (Henrico, Va./Benedictine) hurled a one-hitter and senior Rick Spiers(South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) smacked a three-run homer off the scoreboard as the top-seeded Randolph-Macon baseball team defeated No. 3 Denison 6-1 Friday afternoon at Ting Stadium on Day 2 of the South Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
The Yellow Jackets (33-7-1) stay undefeated in the Holly Springs Regional and will face the winner of #2 TCNJ and #3 Christopher Newport on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. The Big Red end their season at 32-12 in their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Roth (10-1) did not allow a hit until the eighth, when Jake Ryder singled to second base to lead off the inning. Roth rolled a double play and struck out the final hitter to end the frame. Roth walked one and fanned five in his nine-inning masterpiece. The run scored by DU in the fifth was unearned. Roth threw 101 pitches and had six 1-2-3 innings.
The R-MC pitching staff did not have a complete game prior to the NCAA Tournament, but has had two in the past two games. Junior Colin Selby (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) went the distance in a 2-1 victory over LaGrange on Thursday.
The Yellow Jackets had a 3-1 lead after eight innings. Sophomore Zach Evans (Fort Mill, S.C./Seneca) had a leadoff single and was sacrificed to second by sophomore Ryan Duphorn (Erial, N.J./Paul VI). With two away, senior Cole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) was walked intentionally to get to Spiers, who had a popout and a pair of strikeouts after a bunt single in the first. Spiers crushed the first pitch he saw off the scoreboard in left to extend the R-MC lead to 6-1.
R-MC lit the scoreboard in the top of the first. Duphorn drew a leadoff walk, extending his streak to 68 straight games reaching base safely. He stole second with one away and scored on a base hit by Migliorini to give the Yellow Jackets a 1-0 lead.
An inning later, R-MC added to its advantage. Junior Cole Grinde drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a walk to sophomore Michael Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge). With one away, Duphorn hit a grounder on the right side. The first baseman threw to second to force out Nickles, but an errant throw back to first allowed Grinde to come home, giving the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 edge.
After DU tallied its run in the fifth without a hit, R-MC added to its lead in the seventh. Nickles drew a leadoff walk, was sacrificed to second by Evans, moved to third on a single by Butler and came home on a sacrifice fly by Migliorini to give the Yellow Jackets a 3-1 lead.
Spiers had two hits and three RBI, while Migliorini added two hits and drove in a pair. Butler also had two hits for the Yellow Jackets.
R-MC's Class of 2018 earned its 120th career victory, a program record. The seniors have averaged 30 wins over their four-year career.
Click here to listen to postgame press conference.
--- This release is courtesy of the Randolph-Macon College sports information department. ---
www.rmcathletics.com