It was a cold and windy day Saturday, but the bats were hot as the Eastern Mennonite baseball men swept a doubleheader from Southern Vermont in Harrisonburg. The two will play one more game Sunday afternoon.
EMU 23, Southern Vermont 10
The first two innings of the day gave no indication of what was ahead, as Eastern Mennonite led 2-0. It was still only 4-1 after four innings. The real fireworks started in the fifth.
The Mountaineers, playing in their season opener, got an RBI double followed by a two-run homer to tie the game at 4-4. EMU answered with a six-hit, seven-run barrage. Christian Rodriguez (Miami, FL/Pace) had the big hit, a bases loaded triple into the right field corner.
The Royals added to their 11-4 lead with two more in the sixth. The men put another ten batters to the plate in the seventh, putting up another seven spot to blow open a 20-4 lead.
After EMU scored three more in the eighth, they gave up six in the top of the ninth, but still cruised to the 23-10 win.
The men banged out 19 hits to go with eight walks. SVC also committed 10 errors. Beau Banglesdorf (Stafford, VA/Mountain View) went 4-5 from the plate, including two doubles. He scored four times and knocked in two more. Leadoff man B.J. Mortimer (Mechanicsville, VA/Lee-Davis) was 3-6 with two runs and two RBIs.
Justin Rodriguez (Miramar, FL/Pace) drove in four runs and scored three of his own. Jonathan Estrada (Miami, FL/Doral Academy) also scored three times.
Adam Posey (Poquoson, VA/Poquoson) started for EMU and pitched six innings to get his first win of the season. Ryan Henschel (New Market, VA/Stonewall Jackson) and Chris DeWald (Williamsburg, VA/Lafayette) also threw in relief.
EMU 10, Southern Vermont 7
The seven-inning nightcap was a big closer, but still heavy on the offense. The Royals scored first, plating a pair of unearned runs in the first.
The Mountaineers erupted in the second after EMU starter Daniel Stanley (Henrico, VA/Varina) had struck out the side in the first. SVC sent 11 batters to the plate, stringing five hits with a Royal error to score seven runs and take their first lead of the day.
But the men went right back to work erasing the lead. They scored an unearned run the bottom of the second, then brought in a pair in the third on sacrifice flies.
After a few quiet at-bats, EMU scored five in the fifth to go back in front, 10-7. Justin Rodriguez hit his own bases loaded triple to make it 8-7, and the Royals added two more unearned runs for insurance.
Henschel, who took the hill during the top of the fifth, allowed just one runner on a walk in the sixth, and Banglesdorf struck out two in the seventh to close the game and earn a save.
The Royals had four stolen bases in the game, but only five RBIs on their 10 runs. Justin Rodriguez had four of them.
Dylan Smith (Sterling, VA/Park View) went 3-4 with three runs while Mortimer again set up the offense with three singles and a walk. He scored twice.
Estrada and Michael Wade (Waynesboro, VA/Fort Defiance) each scored a pair of runs and Ryan McAlister (Bridgewater, VA/Turner Ashby) added two hits.
Henschel got the win for his 1-1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Eastern Mennonite is now 3-5 after the wins and gets one more game with the Mountaineers Sunday afternoon, with game time at 12:30pm.
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