Box Score NEWPORT NEWS, Va--- Randolph-Macon battled #4 Christopher Newport Tuesday afternoon, falling 2-1 after giving up the deciding run in the bottom half of the seventh inning. The Yellow Jackets dropped to 1-1 on the young season, while the Captains improved to 2-0 on the year.
CNU now holds a 16-5 advantage in the all-time series. The Captains began the year ranked #7 in the country and opened the year with a 17-2 win over Hampden-Sydney and are currently ranked fourth in the nation. Randolph-Macon received five votes in the Pre-Season D3Baseball.com Poll.
The Yellow Jackets took the early lead, scoring first in the top of the third. Freshman Zach Broaddus singled to right and advanced to second on a fielding error by the right fielder. Broaddus then took third on a passed ball and scored on an RBI double to right center by Jake Fletcher.
R-MC held on to its one run advantage until the bottom of the fifth when Shannon Mark singled to left to tie the game. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Mark was hit by a pitch and moved over to third on a single by Billy Steele. Mark then scored on an error to give the eventual final score.
Fletcher led the Jackets at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI, while designated hitter Jon Witt added two singles on the day.
Mark paced the Captains, recording two of the CNU's five hits in the game. He also drove in a run and scored once.
Sid Harvey took the loss for R-MC, allowing one run in 1.1 innings pitched. He was one of five Randolph-Macon pitchers to make an appearance on the mound. Jake Bram and Brandon Beiler each threw two scoreless innings. Richard Lindsay picked up the win in relief for CNU, pitching two innings and allowing no runs. Ryan Fleischmann recorded his first save of the year.
The Yellow Jackets return to action Saturday, February 18th when they travel to Mary Washington to take on the Eagles in a double-header. The first pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 12:00 p.m.
