SALEM, VA--The Roanoke College baseball got its second Old Dominion Athletic Conference victory in as many days, defeating Emory & Henry College on Thursday in Salem, VA. The Maroons improve to 13-11 on the season and 5-5 in the ODAC. The win moves Roanoke into a tie for fifth in the league with Guilford College, both with five league wins. The Maroons have just five losses in the ODAC, the Quakers six. Emory & Henry falls to 6-18, 3-9 in the ODAC.
Three hits, including an RBI single from Casey Burcham, by the Wasps in the top of the first inning gave the visiting team a 1-0 lead. The Maroons, however, got that run back in the bottom of the bottom of the inning. With the bases loaded, on hits by Justin Bradley,
Brennan Thacker, and Nate Unroe, Sean Sturgill popped out to second, but because of the diving play made by the E&H defensive player, Bradley was able to tag up from third to even the score.
The Wasps carried their strong hitting into the top of the second, pounding out four more hits, those resulting in five more runs. Adam Hall had a two-run triple that bounced off the bottom of the leftfield wall, while Marc Fitzwater and Gavin Haynes each had RBI singles.
The Maroons got themselves in good scoring position again in the second. With one out, the Maroons again loaded the bases. The host team?s first run of the inning came on a Justin Bradley fielder?s choice. With runners on first and third,
Brennan Thacker singled on a hit and run, scoring Hamilton from third.
The Wasps scored two more runs in the top of the third inning and could have had more had Roanoke rightfielder Matt Vess not thrown out a runner at home for the third out of the inning.
The Maroons battled back to get to within two runs with three runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Shane Spikes got on after getting hit by a pitch and went to third on a Justin Bradley double. Thacker drove in Spikes with a single and went to second on a Nathan Unroe groundout. With runners on second and third, an Emory & Henry fielding error allowed both to score.
The Maroons finally were able to take control of the contest with seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Maroons pounded out six hits in the inning and took advantage of four Emory & Henry errors. All seven runs in the inning were unearned. Bradley, Hoopes, Spikes, and Zimmerman all had RBIs in the inning.
In the win, Bradley tied a school record with five hits, those coming in six at-bats. He also drove in three runs, as did Thacker. Zimmerman finished with four hits.
The Maroons are back in action on Saturday afternoon in an ODAC double-header against the Marlins of Virginia Wesleyan. The team then plays two at Newport News Apprentice School on Sunday afternoon.
Roanoke vs. Emory & Henry Box Score
