SALEM --- The Roanoke Baseball team split a pair of contests in their ODAC-opener with Washington and Lee University on Saturday at Kiwanis Field.  The Maroons, who have won eight of their last 11 games, are now 8-8 on the season, 1-1 in the ODAC.  The Generals record slips to 5-8, 2-2 in the conference standings.

The Generals took game one of the conference doubleheader, 8-3, before the Maroons rallied for an 8-7 victory in the nightcap.  In the opener, the Generals erupted for seven runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to blow open what had been a close game.

After each team tallied a run in the first inning and RC took a 2-1 lead with a single run in the fifth, W&L scored three runs to in the bottom half to give the Generals a 4-2 lead.

RC scratched across another run in the bottom of the frame to make it a 4-3 game, but W&L added a pair of runs in the seventh off a two-run double and two more in the eighth as junior Jonathan Stutts laced a two-run double of his own to end the scoring.

Junior Ian Shaw picked up his third win of the season (3-2) with seven effective innings. He allowed three runs on just three hits and three strikeouts.

The Generals opened up the second game swinging, as the first two batters opened with singles. Josh Josephson knocked both of those runners in with a two out double to take the 2-0 lead in the top of the first.

After Tyler Grouten put away the first three batters in the top of the second, Jacob Clifton led off the bottom of the second with a homer to left-center field to cut the deficit to 2-1.

In the bottom of the third, Roanoke mirrored the previous inning as Matt Wallman hit a two-run home run to left field to give the Maroons the 3-2 lead.

The Generals put two men on the base path early allowing Chris Nault to knock in one run with a single, followed by Jonathan Stutts who brought in two more runners with a triple to deep center field. Nick Biumi answered with an RBI single of his own to give W&L a 6-3 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Clifton led off the inning with a double off the scoreboard. Two batters later, Chad Hill knocked him in to cut the deficit to two, 6-4.

Washington and Lee added one more run to their cause in the top of the ninth after Will Salley brought home Chris Nault, who had reached base from a leadoff walk. The Maroons trailed 7-4 heading in to the bottom of the ninth.

Casey Miller led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, followed by Wallman who reached off an error by the shortstop. Clifton knocked a single to center that brought in a run, making the score 7-5. Hill hit one to short, that resulted in an out, but brought in Wallman, cutting the deficit to one, 7-6. Kluge hit a single down the right field line to bring home Cliffton, tying the game at 7-7.

With one out and the bases loaded, Bradley Mattox laid down a bunt to complete the suicide squeeze that brought home Nick Sburlati, ultimately winning the game for the Maroons, 8-7.

The Maroons will return to action on Tuesday, March 13^th as they travel to face Milligan College in Tennessee. That game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start.

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