ASHLAND, Va. --- Rain didn't damper No. 16 Randolph-Macon's spirits as it defeated MIT in Game 3 of the Ashland Regional on Saturday morning. Despite the precipitation, the Yellow Jackets were able to get the game in and get the bats going as they homered twice against the Engineers to advance in the winner's bracket.

THE BASICS

• Score: No. 16 Randolph-Macon 8, MIT 3
• Venue: R-MC Softball Field
• Records: No. 16 Randolph-Macon 34-9, MIT 31-17

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the rematch between the two teams who first met near the beginning of the season, MIT struck first by plating a run in the bottom of the third. Starting pitcher Anya Chase was able to give herself the lead with a sacrifice fly in foul territory on the left field side to score Jordan Sell.
• The lead didn't last long as Rilee Baughan (Jr., Warsaw, Va. / Rappahanock) blasted her 11th home run of the season to lead off the top of the fourth.
• One inning later the Lemon and Black rallied with three more runs. Naomi Sadler (Fr., Emporia, Va. / Brunswick) singled up the middle to score Bailey Hairfield (So., Chesterfield, Va. / Cosby) who was pinch running for Gracie Ellis (Fr., New Kent, Va. / New Kent) to take a 2-1 lead. One battler later Baughan made MIT pay again with a two-RBI double to right that scored Sadler and Amanda Lanyon (Fr., Midlothian, Va./ Midlothian).
• Extra base hits kept coming for the Jackets as Sami Davidson (Sr., Stafford, Va. / Brooke Point) extended the lead to 5-1 with another double to right center to score Olivia Owens (So., Salisbury, Md. / James M. Bennett) in the sixth.
• MIT was able to drive in a run in the bottom of the inning, but the momentum was short-lived as Kayla Davis (Fr., Powhatan, Va. / Powhatan) sent a shot just down the left field line for the second R-MC round trip of the day. This was a three-run variety as Baughan and Lanyon both scored on the play to make the score 8-2.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Ellis recorded the victory to improve to 21-5 She allowed just one earned run on five hits and struck out seven for the second consecutive day.
• Chase suffered the defeat for the Engineers. She was tagged for four runs, one earned on six hits and two strikeouts.
• The top of the lineup was particularly strong for the Jackets as each of the top three hitters had multiple-hit days. Baughan led the charge as she went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
• Baughan's home run was her 11th of the season, tied for No. 15 in the nation.
• Davidson has doubled in both games of the regional so far.

UP NEXT

The Yellow Jackets will have to wait for the other part of the bracket to thin out to see who they play next. Susquehanna and Farmingdale State were supposed to play the second game today, but the weather had other ideas and postponed the game until tomorrow.

The winner of Susquehanna and Farmingdale State will then play MIT in another elimination game. The winner of that game will then face Randolph-Macon in the regional final.