EMU upsets top-seeded Randolph-Macon in ODAC baseball tournament

Brendon Barrett threw a complete game and Brett Lindsay accounted for four runs as the EMU baseball team beat Randolph-Macon 7-4 for their first ODAC Tournament win since 2002.

The win evens the best-of-three quarterfinal series with the top-seeded Yellow Jackets. The deciding game of the series between Eastern Mennonite and R-MC is Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Ashland.

The Royals have only been to the postseason three times since the Erik Kratz era ended in 2002. Both of the previous trips in 2015 and 2019 ended with a pair of losses. EMU was swept by top-seeded Randolph-Macon in a similar situation two years ago, but this time around their experienced upperclassmen came up big.

After dropping the first game of the series earlier in the day by a score of 14-6, the Diamond Royals jumped ahead quickly in game two. Playing as the home team in contest, Barrett went to the hill in the top of the first and send down the Yellow Jackets in order.

Jordan Jones (Saxe, Va./Randolph Henry) set the table in the bottom of the first by drawing a leadoff walk. After getting to second on a one-out wild pitch, the speedy Jones came in to score on an RBI single from Lindsay. Ray Tricarico (Culpeper, Va./Eastern View) reached on a single, and then Billy Quinn (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) drove a triple to center field to plate both runners for a quick 3-0 lead.

That was enough for Barrett (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) to get in a rhythm. Despite not working another 1-2-3 inning the rest of the game, the junior lefty continued to work out of jams, including double plays in each the second and fourth innings.

The Yellow Jackets got their first run in the fourth, but the men got it back in the sixth when John Judy (Shanks, W.V./Hampshire) doubled in Natty Solomon (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite).

The Royals then broke things open in the bottom of the eighth. Judy led off with another double and came around to score when Randolph-Macon botched a sacrifice bunt from Jacob Merica (Elkton, Va./East Rockingham). Then with two outs and two runners in scoring position, Lindsay (Gloucester, Va./Gloucester) came through again with a two-run single through the left side, bumping the lead to 7-1.

That allowed Coach Adam Posey the extra cushion to leave Barrett in for the ninth, saving more of his pitching staff for Sunday’s rubber match.  The Yellow Jackets did rally, taking advantage of a pair of EMU errors, but Barrett ended the game with the tying run at the plate, getting R-MC senior Kevin Mooney to strike out looking.

It was Barrett’s first career complete game, as he lowered his ERA to 3.49, best among EMU’s active pitchers. He worked around 14 hits while only allowing two earned runs.

The teams combined for 27 hits in the second game, but none were bigger than Lindsay’s 4-for-5 performance. The senior shortstop scored one run and drove in three, including the first and then final two runs that EMU scored.

Jones scored twice while Quinn had two RBIs. Judy’s two doubles led to one run and one RBI. Merica and Jaylon Lee (Newport News, Va./Denbigh) each had a pair of hits, while Solomon reached twice on walks.

Eastern Mennonite started on the right foot in Saturday’s series-opening game, despite a 14-6 final score. They led 5-3 after four innings of play before Judy, a fifth-year senior, hit trouble in the fifth. The Yellow Jackets scored five times in that inning to get in front 8-5, and kept on scoring from there.

The Royals had nine walks and nine hits in the opener, highlighted by Solomon batting 2-3 with two walks and two RBIs. Tricarico started his clutch postseason efforts by going 3-4 with three RBIs and two runs.

Lindsay and Jones each had a single and two walks.