LYNCHBURG, VA – Randolph-Macon Baseball opened the 2013 ODAC Baseball Tournament with a 7-5 victory over No. 2 seed Hampden-Sydney Thursday afternoon. The No. 5 seeded Yellow Jackets will now face the winner of game three between No. 4 Washington and Lee and No. 3 Shenandoah Friday, April 26th at 6:00.

R-MC set the tone early when Mitchell Keeler and Jake Fletcher led off the top of the first with singles. Jeb Weymouth followed with a run scoring single to right before Tim Benjamin smashed a double to left center, scoring Fletcher and Weymouth. Travis Lodge then reached on a fielder's choice to plate Benjamin and cap the rally.

Hampden-Sydney responded in the bottom half on Beau Flinchum's two run single up the middle that cut the lead in half.

Yellow Jackets' starting pitcher Matt Fischgrund settled in after the first and held the Tigers scoreless for the next five innings.

Fletcher extended the Randolph-Macon advantage to 5-2 in the fourth when he singled home Nate Meiners.

After H-SC pushed across a run on an R-MC error in the seventh, Weymouth belted a run scoring, eighth inning double down the line in left. Fletcher then scored on a wild pitch to stretch the lead to 7-3.

The Tigers used an RBI single from John Lloyd and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Christian Hamlett to plate two runs in the bottom of the eighth and pull within two. With Hampden-Sydney still threatening, Sid Harvey came on in relief and quickly retired two batters to end the inning.

Will Jennings was then called on to close for the Yellow Jackets in the bottom of the ninth with a 7-5 lead. The freshman did not allow a hit and retired the side, securing the victory and earning his sixth save of the season.

Michael Trentham and Keeler finished 3-for-5 at the plate to led R-MC's offense. Fletcher went 2-for-4 and drove in a run while Weymouth had a pair of hits with two RBI.

Fischgrund improves to 3-1 on the season after allowing two runs on six hits with eight strikeouts in six innings. Tanner Phillips gave up one earned in one inning of relief while Jennings tossed a scoreless ninth.

Flinchum and Nathan Chamberlin had two hits apiece for the Tigers; Flinchum also drove in a pair of runs.

Zach Whitaker gave up five runs on 11 hits in five and two thirds in the loss. Aaron Stidham allowed two runs in two and a third innings of relief.  

Click here for more information on the 2013 ODAC Baseball Tournament.