LYNCHBURG, Va. – RMC Baseball lost a very narrow road contest against #2 Lynchburg, as the Yellow Jackets had an early lead and forced a tie game in the eighth.
The Basics
Score: #2 Lynchburg 6, (RV) Randolph-Macon 5
Venue: Lynchburg, Va. // James C. Cox Field // University of Lynchburg
Records: (RV) Randolph-Macon (20-12, 11-7 ODAC), #2 Lynchburg (30-3-1, 17-0-1 ODAC)
How It Happened:
- James Baffone (Wilmington, Del./St. Mark's) registered the first hit by either team in the top of the second, as he singled to the right side and stole second. Zach Stolze (Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield) followed with a double down the left field line, scoring Baffone for a 1-0 lead.
- While Ryan Hummel (Virginia Beach, Va./Cape Henry Collegiate) was able to get the first two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Lynchburg used a hit batter and home run to take a 2-1 lead.
- In the following inning, the first Hornet at the plate homered to right, before RMC went on to get outs against each of the next three batters.
- The home team extended its lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth, as two singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly got one more run across.
- In the top of the seventh, Jon Quici (Paoli, Pa./Conestoga) singled before Caleb Hawton-Henley (Fairfax, Va./St. John's Prep) took his spot with a fielder's choice. Then, Jack Bowles (Mechanicsville, Va./Hanover) laced a ball over the right field fence, bringing his team back within one run, trailing 3-4.
- Randolph-Macon got even with its second home run of the day, as Carter Schmitt (Glen Allen, Va./St. Christopher's) nuked a leadoff homerun to deep right-center.
- Despite the momentum, RMC forfeited two runs in the bottom of the eighth to put the score at 6-4 LYN, as a result of a double that was followed by a walk and another extra base hit.
- In the top of the ninth, Bowles and Zach Wernoski (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) posted back-to-back singles. Schmitt continued his hot hitting and drove a ball up the middle for a base hit, scoring Bowles to finish the contest at 5-6.
By The Numbers:
- Randolph-Macon out-hit Lynchburg, 11-7, giving the team its sixth consecutive game with 10-or-more.
- RMC finished with one less RBI (five-to-six), resulting in its sixth-straight game with at least five.
- The Yellow Jackets earned 11 more trips to the plate, finishing up in the at-bats category 39-28.
- Schmitt led the way with a game-high four hits, tying for the most in the game with two RBI and he also added a run.
- Bowles went two-for-five with two RBI and two runs, while Wernoski also ripped two hits on the day. Bowles was the only player in the nine innings to score twice.
- Both Bowles and Schmitt nuked home runs, as it was Bowles' first of the season and second of his career, as well has Schmitt's second in 2026 and eighth in his career.
- Baffone, Stolze and Quici all went one-for-four, but it was Stolze getting an RBI and his team an early lead.
- Hummel logged 5.1 innings of work, striking out two and giving up five hits, four runs and one walk.
For The Record:
- With his five at-bats against Lynchburg, Schmitt now has 578 in his career. With that mark, he surpassed Rick Spiers (2015-18) for the fourth most in program history.
- Furthermore, after tallying four hits in the contest, he surpassed Jeb Weymouth (206, 2010-13) for the fourth most in program history. The senior currently sits at 207.
- Schmitt drove in two runs to total 135 in his carer. The value now slots him third all time in RBI, surpassing Mike Nickles (134, 2017-21).
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets remain on the road to face Mary Washington at Thursday, April 23 at 3:00 p.m.
