NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Senior Stuart Brown (Midlothian, Va./Trinity) had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and drove in four, while junior Rick Spiers (South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) struck out the potential winning run in the bottom of the ninth as the sixth-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team edged Christopher Newport 7-5 on Wednesday afternoon.

The Yellow Jackets (6-0) scored in each of the first three innings and would never trail. Freshman Ryan Duphorn (Erial, N.J./Paul VI) had a leadoff single in the top of the first and sophomore Jeff Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) followed with a walk. With two away, Brown doubled down the left field line to plate Duphorn and Butler, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead.

Senior Jay Patti (Sparks, Md./Hereford) had a one-out single in the second and scored on a Butler sacrifice fly as R-MC took a 3-0 lead. Junior Cole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) drew a leadoff walk in the third and came home on a base hit by Patti as the Yellow Jackets went ahead 4-0.

After the Captains (4-5) scratched for a run in the fourth, R-MC answered in the fifth. Migliorini and Brown had back-to-back doubles to start the frame as the Yellow Jackets took a 5-1 lead.

CNU added one in the bottom of the fifth before R-MC responded in the seventh on Migliorini's first home run of the season to make it a 6-2 contest.

The Captains tallied one in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-3. With one away in the bottom of the eighth, Ryan Grubbs drove a ball toward the right field corner. Spiers dove onto the warning track to make the catch and take away an extra-base hit.

The Yellow Jackets added an insurance run in the ninth as Butler had a leadoff double and came home on a single by Brown as the lead grew to 7-3.

CNU would make noise the bottom of the ninth. The Captains loaded the bases with two away. R-MC's first error in the past four games allowed a pair to score as CNU edged closer at 7-5. Spiers moved from right field to the mound and fanned the final batter with two aboard, giving the Yellow Jackets the 7-5 victory.

Spiers recorded his first save of the season. Sophomore Nick Roth III (Henrico, Va./Benedictine) earned the win in relief, going 2.1 innings with two hits, one run, no walks and two strikeouts. Freshman Michael Zubovich (Chantilly, Va./Freedom) was effective in his second start, allowing five hits in 4.0 innings with one run, no walks and four punchouts.

Migliorini had two hits and three runs, while Patti had two hits and Butler scored twice.

Randolph-Macon returns to action on Friday, Feb. 24, with a 2 p.m. home contest against New Paltz on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.