ASHLAND, Va. – Junior Cody Thompson (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) allowed two hits in five scoreless innings, and sophomore Jeff Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) belted a three-run homer as the sixth-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team blanked RPI 7-0 Saturday afternoon in the opener of a three-game series on Hugh Stephen Field at Estes Park.

Thompson (2-0) walked three and fanned five in picking up his second win for the Yellow Jackets (3-0). Sophomore Daniel Lachance (Clifton, Va./Centreville) pitched a scoreless sixth with one hit and one strikeout. Sophomore Patrick Solomita (Chesterfield, Va./Manchester) worked two hitless frames with one walk and three punchouts. Sophomore Jake Ottinger (Glen Allen, Va./Benedictine) completed the shutout with a scoreless ninth against the Engineers (0-1).

The Yellow Jackets started the scoring in the bottom of the second. Sophomore Ian Pape (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) had a one-out single and later scored on an error to give the home team a 1-0 advantage.

R-MC added to its lead in the third. Butler reached on an error and came home when a sacrifice bunt by junior Rick Spiers (South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) was thrown away at first. Spiers touched home on a base hit by senior Stuart Brown (Midlothian, Va./Trinity) as the advantage grew to 3-0.

In the sixth, junior Joseph Tuzzolo (Newport News, Va./Menchville) was hit by a pitch to start the inning. He moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Pape to make it a 4-0 ballgame. Following a double play and walks to senior Jordan Schmeer (Richmond, Va./Benedictine) and freshman Ryan Duphorn (Erial, N.J./Paul VI), Butler launched his first collegiate homer to left to expand the lead to 7-0.

Pape went 2 for 4 with one run and one RBI for the Yellow Jackets.

Randolph-Macon and RPI will conclude their series on Sunday with an 11 a.m. doubleheader on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.