The EMU Diamond Royals saved their offense for the sixth inning as they won their first game of the season at North Carolina Wesleyan by a score of 3-2 on Saturday.
The Royals stay in Rocky Mount, N.C. tonight as they return to the field on Sunday to play the Battling Bishops in a 7-inning doubleheader beginning at 11:00am.
EMU was still shaking the rust off their bats as they did not have a base runner until the sixth inning when Jordan Jones (Saxe, Va./Randolph Henry) drew a one-out walk. He stole second then advanced all the way home on wild pitches to tie the game.
A two-out single by Ray Tricarico (Culpeper, Va./Eastern View) was the first hit for the Royals before Robert Guenther (Falls Church, Va./George C. Marshall) walked to set the table for the team’s RBI leader from last season. Jaylon Lee (Newport News, Va./Denbigh) promptly doubled in both runners to put EMU in the lead.
N.C. Wesleyan cut the lead to one run in the bottom of the eighth after the first two batters in the inning reached base. A fielder’s choice brought the run across before a pitching change put Daniel Hupart (Woodbridge, Va./C.D. Hylton) on the mound for the Royals. Hupart managed the inning to get out of trouble without allowing another run to score.
Hupart closed out the ninth inning to earn the save in his first career appearance. Bailey Hall (Daleville, Va./James River) started the game for EMU throwing four innings, only allowing a solo home run on two hits while striking out five batters. Brendon Barrett (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) earned the win as he threw 3.1 innings in relief. John Judy (Shanks, W.V./Hampshire) had two hits as the designated hitter.
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