ASHLAND, Va. - Senior Rick Spiers (South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) belted a go-ahead homer in the fifth and sophomore Matthew Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) hurled seven strong innings as the eighth-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team topped Hampden-Sydney 4-2 in ODAC action Tuesday afternoon on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.

The Yellow Jackets moved to 14-3 overall and 6-1 in the ODAC. The Tigers fell to 10-7 overall and 4-1 in league play.

After stranding a pair of runners in each of the first two innings, R-MC started the scoring in the third. Junior Jeff Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) had a leadoff single and moved to third on a one-out double by Spiers. Senior Joseph Tuzzolo (Newport News, Va./Menchville) delivered a sacrifice fly to center to plate Butler with the game's first run.

After H-SC took the lead with two in the top of the fourth, the Yellow Jackets responded in the fifth. Senior Cole Migliorini (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) laced a single past the pitcher's head into center field with one away. Spiers crushed a homer to left, his first of the season, to give R-MC a 3-2 advantage.

R-MC added to its lead in the sixth. Junior Grant Huckestein (Manassas, Va./Woodbridge) drew a leadoff walk, stole second, moved to third on a two-out single by sophomore Ryan Duphorn (Erial, N.J./Paul VI) and scored on a base hit to left by Butler to make the score 4-2.

Nickles (1-0) allowed five hits and two runs in seven innings with two walks and five strikeouts. He surrendered four hits and two runs in the fourth, and allowed just one hit in the other six scoreless frames.

Senior Cody Thompson (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) gave up one hit and fanned two in a scoreless eighth, while senior Christian Cok (Chester, S.C./Lewisville) worked a scoreless ninth with one hit and three punchouts to record his fourth save.

Spiers had two extra-base hits and two RBI. Butler went 3 for 5 with one run and one RBI, while Duphorn added two hits for the Yellow Jacket offense.

Randolph-Macon remains at home with a 3:30 p.m. contest on Thursday against York on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park.