WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senior Mike Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) had two doubles, two RBI and one run to lead the seventh-ranked Randolph-Macon baseball team to an 8-2 victory at Catholic on Thursday afternoon.

The Basics

Score: #7 Randolph-Macon 8, Catholic 2

Site/Venue: Washington, D.C./Talbot Field

Records: R-MC 12-1, CUA 5-5

How It Happened

• After the Cardinals tallied a run in the bottom of the first, the Yellow Jackets answered in the fourth. Mike Nickles had a leadoff double to left center and senior Reece Yeargain (Chester, Va./Benedictine) drew a walk. Both moved up a base on an error. Nickles was out at the plate on a fielder's choice, which moved Yeargain to third. Senior Cole Grinde (Woodford, Va./Caroline) singled to center to bring home Yeargain and level the score at 1-1.
• R-MC would take the lead an inning later. Senior Ryan Duphorn (Erial, N.J./Paul VI) drew a one-out walk and scored on a two-out double by Mike Nickles to put the Yellow Jackets up one. Mike Nickles would come home on a base hit by his brother, senior Shawn Nickles (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge), to give R-MC a 3-1 edge.
• The Yellow Jackets would add to the lead in the seventh. With one away, sophomore Spencer Pietruszynski (Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown) doubled down the right field line. Yeargain delivered a two-out double to drive in Pietruszynski and make it 4-1. Yeargain would score on a wild pitch to up the advantage to 5-1.
• R-MC would put the game away in the eighth. Freshman Brooks Mazey (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run) had a one-out single and moved to second on a walk to senior Zach Evans (Fort Mill, S.C./Seneca). Pietruszynski had a two-out single to plate Mazey. Evans would score on an error and Pietruszynski came home on a wild pitch to make it 8-1. Catholic added a run in the bottom of the eighth to make the final 8-2.

By The Numbers

• Mike Nickles had two doubles, two RBI and one run. Yeargain went 1 for 2 with a double, three walks, two runs and one RBI. He extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Pietruszynski had two hits, including a double, two runs and one RBI. He and Grinde have reached base in all 13 games this season.
• Freshman Cam Furman (Midlothian, Va./Midlothian) pitched the first five innings with five hits, one run, one walk and six strikeouts to raise his record to 2-0.
• Freshman Hayden Snelsire (Berlin, Md./Stephen Decatur) tossed two scoreless frames with four punchouts. Junior Zack Radcliffe (Bel Air, Md./Bel Air) fanned one in the eighth. Junior James Womack (Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) struck out the side in the ninth to secure the win.

For the Record

• Duphorn tied the program record for career runs with 161. He shares the mark with assistant coach Jeff Butler. Duphorn owns the program record for career steals with 65.

Up Next

Randolph-Macon begins ODAC play this weekend by hosting Guilford on Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park. The teams will play a single game on Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m. The series will conclude with a single game on Sunday, March 8 at 1 p.m.