SALEM, VA--The Roanoke College baseball team lost to top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan College in the first game of the 2004 Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament, dropping a 9-7 decision at Lynchburg City Stadium in Lynchburg, VA. The Maroons, who will play in an elimination game against Lynchburg College at 11:00 on Friday morning in Lynchburg, fall to 16-19 on the season. The Marlins improve to 28-9 overall.

The Marlins scored first in the contest, putting up three in the bottom of the fourth inning. Following a triple, the Marlins got an RBI groundout to secondbase. Three batters later, and a Maroon error later, the Marlins got their second triple of the inning, scoring two runs, to go up 3-0. The second and third runs of the inning were unearned.

The Maroons battled back to trim the deficit to two runs with one in the top of the fifth. Josh Ringstaff led the inning off with a single up the middle and on the play went to second on a Marlin throwing error. Two batters later, Mike Eubank singled to shallow rightfield. Ringstaff slid around the tag at home to plate the first RC run.

The Maroons found themselves in a 6-1 hole following the completion of the fifth inning after the Marlins hit a three-run homer over the rightcenter fence. Again, Roanoke battled back with a run in the top of an inning, this time getting one in the sixth. Brandon Coates singled to left and went to second when Anthony Hernandez was hit by a pitch. Robby Hoopes then singled up the middle to bring in Coates and make the score 6-2. A third three-run inning by the Marlins put the Maroons behind 9-2 heading into the eighth.

In the second to last inning, the Maroons mounted a comeback try, scoring four times on five hits. With Coates at first base after a single to short center, Hernandez singled up the middle to put runners on first and second. Hoopes the sliced his fifth triple of the season to bring in both runners and bring the Maroons to within 9-4. Facing a new pitcher, Josh Ringstaff drove in the third run of the frame with a one-base hit to right. Against the third Virginia Wesleyan pitcher of the inning, Brandon Wilson walked with the bases loaded, earning an RBI and making the score 9-6.

In the ninth, Nathan Unroe led off the inning with a solid hit to center and Coates followed with a single off of the pitcher's glove. Two batters later, with Unroe on third, Ringstaff doubled to left to plate Roanoke's seventh run of the game. That came with two outs, however, and just a batter later the game ended.

Roanoke vs. Virginia Wesleyan Box Score