(VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.) – Timely hitting and taking advantage of miscues helped No. 8 Randolph-Macon sweep defending national champion and No. 11 Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday afternoon. The sweep puts the Yellow Jackets in first place of the ODAC with four conference games and six overall to go.

The Basics

Scores: No. 8 Randolph-Macon 4, No. 11 Virginia Wesleyan 2

Venue: Broyles Field at TowneBank Park

Records: No. 8 Randolph-Macon 24-5, 9-3 ODAC; No. 11 Virginia Wesleyan 25-8, 8-4 ODAC

How It Happened (Game 1)

• The Yellow Jackets got on the board first with a solo run in the top of the first. After Amanda Lanyon (Fr., Midlothian, Va. / Midlothian) reached on an error and stole second, she took advantage of a second error and completed the trip home.
• Virginia Wesleyan was able to answer with a double down the left field line that scored a pair in the bottom of the frame.
• R-MC eventually took the lead in the top of the seventh thanks to more errors by the Marlins defense. Sami Davidson (Sr., Stafford, Va. / Brooke Point) led off the frame with a single to left and a pair of errors put her on third and Jessica Pittman (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va. / Kempsville) on first. Lanyon followed with a bunt misplayed by the first basemen that scored Davidson to tie the game.
• The go-ahead run came in when Rilee Baughan (Jr., Warsaw, Va. / Rappahannock) reached on an error by the second baseman and Pittman took advantage of the miscue to score from third. Later in the frame a bases-loaded walk to Ryleigh Elliott (So., Milton, Del. / Cape Henlopen) then brought in Baughan to make it 4-2.
• In the bottom of the seventh Gracie Ellis (Fr., New Kent, Va. / New Kent) went to work and struck out two before forcing a fly out to right to retire the side and end the game.

Inside The Numbers (Game 1)

• Ellis improved to 15-2 overall on the season and allowed the two runs on just three hits and a walk. Emily Seale was dealt the loss to drop her to 13-4 on the year.
• The Jackets were credited with six hits in the game. Naomi Sadler (Fr., Emporia, Va. / Brunswick) and Davidson both went 2-for-3 with Davidson scoring once.
• The Marlins were charged with seven errors in the game.

How It Happened (Game 2)

• After the Marlins took a 2-0 lead with runs in the first and second, the Jackets tied it up in the top of the third. Sadler brought Lanyon before Olivia Owens (So., Salisbury, Md. / James M. Bennett) hit a sac fly to center to plate the second.
• VWU answered with another pair of runs in the third, but R-MC came right back with a big fifth inning to take the lead for good. Sadler again started the rally with Lanyon scoring. Sierra Livingston (So., Dagsboro, Del. / Sussex Tech) followed with a double to left center to score Sadler and Baughan for a 5-4 lead. Davidson capped the scoring in the frame with an infield single to score Livingston.
• In the seventh the Lemon and Black added a couple of insurance runs. An Owens single to right plated Sadler before Davidson brought in Owens on another single to right to make the score 8-4.

Inside The Numbers (Game 2)

• Baughan received the win to improve to 10-3 on the season. Ellis relieved her in the fifth inning and went the rest of the way to record her third save of the year.
• Sadler finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. She now is 8-for-12 in her last four games with two hits in each game.
• Davidson went a combined 4-for7 on the day with two RBIs and a run scored.
• Errors again plagued the Marlins as they added three more to give them 10 for the day.
• The sweep over Virginia Wesleyan was Randolph-Macon's first since April 1, 2010.
• With Bridgewater splitting with Roanoke today, the Yellow Jackets control their destiny to the top seed in the ODAC Tournament.

Up Next

Six games remain in the regular season with both ODAC twin bills coming on the road. Eastern Mennonite will host the Yellow Jackets first this Saturday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.