ASHLAND, Va. - Senior right-hander Nick Roth (Henrico, Va./Benedictine) tossed his third complete game in the opener, and junior Cole Grinde (Woodford, Va./Caroline) knocked in four (two in each game) as the ninth-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team swept an ODAC doubleheader from Shenandoah on Saturday afternoon.

The Basics

Scores: Randolph-Macon 8, Shenandoah 3; Randolph-Macon 13, Shenandoah 4

Location/Venue: Ashland, Va./Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park

Records: R-MC 12-4, 9-1 ODAC; SU 10-7, 5-5 ODAC

How It Happened

Game 1

• Roth allowed five hits and three runs with two walks and nine strikeouts in raising his record to 4-0. He retired the first 10 batters of the game before a homer broke up the no-hitter and shutout in the top of the fourth.
• The Yellow Jackets responded in the bottom of the frame. Junior outfielder Shawn Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) had a leadoff single and scored on a homer to left by sophomore DH Kevin Mooney (Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown), his second of the season, to give R-MC a 2-1 lead. With one away, junior shortstop Zach Evans (Fort Mill, S.C./Seneca) singled and came home on a double by senior outfielder Matthew Blaise (Clifton, Va./Centreville). Blaise would score on a single by junior outfielder Ryan Duphorn (Erial, N.J./Paul VI) to give the Yellow Jackets a 4-1 advantage.
• An inning later, junior catcher Reece Yeargain (Chester, Va./Benedictine) drew a leadoff walk and scored from third on a caught stealing at second as the home team went up 5-1.
• After the Hornets cut the deficit in half with a pair in the sixth. R-MC added to its lead in the seventh. Mooney was hit by a pitch with two away and Grinde went deep for the second time this season, giving the Yellow Jackets a 7-3 lead.
• In the eighth, Blaise had a leadoff single and scored on a base hit by senior second baseman Jeff Butler (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) to make the final 8-3.
• Blaise went 2 for 3 with two runs and one RBI.

Game 2

• Junior right-hander Michael Zubovich (Chantilly, Va./Freedom) gave the Yellow Jackets another solid start in the nightcap, going 7.0 innings with eight hits, two runs, one walk and eight strikeouts.
• After SU tallied a run in the top of the first, R-MC erupted for six in the bottom of the frame. Duphorn had a leadoff double and scored on a single by Butler. Junior Mike Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) tripled to right center, bring home Butler. With one away, Shawn Nickles delivered a sacrifice fly and reached on an error to make it 3-0. Evans added a two-run single and Blaise had a run-scoring base hit as the lead grew to 6-1.
• Sophomore catcher Jacob Selden (Lynchburg, Va./E.C. Glass) had his first collegiate homer leading off the third to up the advantage to 7-1.
• Grinde had an RBI single to cap a three-run fourth, and he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in a three-run fifth as the lead ballooned to 13-2. SU added two in the ninth to make the final 13-4.
• Nike Nickles a homer short of the cycle, going 3 for 4 with three runs and two RBI on his birthday.
• Selden went 3 for 4 with two runs and two RBI.
• Butler went 3 for 5 with three runs and one RBI.

By The Numbers

• Butler had a stolen base in the first game, giving him a program-record 51 career steals.
• R-MC has outscored its opponents 32-8 in the first inning.

Up Next

• Randolph-Macon will travel to Lynchburg on Wednesday, April 3 for a 3 p.m. ODAC contest.