Posted: Mar 28, 2015
The sweep is the first for Roanoke over Washington and Lee since the two squads started playing regular conference doubleheaders in 2007. W&L had swept the Maroons each of the past two seasons. RC now owns a 10-6 overall record and a 5-3 mark in league play, while the Generals fall to 6-7 and 4-5 against ODAC competition.
In game one, lefty John Ruhlman put together his longest outing with eight shutout innings. He gave up just three hits without a walk and fanned 11 batters. He struckout five of the first six Generals he faced, including all three in the bottom of the first. He went unscathed the first time thru the lineup before W&L's Luke Myer belted a double to lead off the fourth inning.
W&L's Tom Concklin was also solid in his six innings, giving up just one run on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Neither starter allowed a run until Roanoke got on the board in the fifth inning. After Anthony Teixeira singled and Danny Creed walked, both moved up on a passed ball. Devin Cassity walked to load the bases. Will Black singled to left to bring around Teixeira for the game's first run.
Roanoke put up a four-spot in the eighth inning, starting with a double by Craig Kiley and a walk by Will Decker. Clark Crutchfield followed with a RBI single to right. A W&L error on a sacrifice attempt led to Teixeira's RBI groundout to third. After Creed grounded back to the mound, Cassity deposited a single to right to drive in two more tallies.
The Maroons added another tally in the ninth via a Decker RBI single, driving in Black.
Black went 4-for-5 from his leadoff spot, smacking a pair of doubles. Crutchfield and Teixeira both recorded two hits. Ruhlman moved to 2-1 with the win. Austin Gregory threw the final frame, giving up a hit and striking out a batter.
Concklin took the loss for W&L, falling to 2-2. Andrew Lamb (2.0 IP, 4 h, 4 r, 2 er) and Matt Hedberg (1.0 IP, 2 h, 1 er) followed out of the bullpen. Myer had two of W&L's four hits.
Game two saw junior right-hander Harrison Richards throw seven strong frames in leading the Maroons to a sweep. He gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits without a free pass and seven punchouts. Kyle Tipping got the start for W&L. He gave up three runs on six hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts in five innings on the bump.
Roanoke got on the board in the first inning. Black smacked his fifth hit of the day with a single to left to lead off the game. With two down and Black on second -- after a stolen base - and Decker on first following a walk, Cal Hodgert singled to left to drive in Black.
Crutchfield drove in the Maroons second run in the third inning. Black again led off with a hit, this time a bunt single, and then stole second. With two down, he advanced to third on a wild pitch and came around on Crutchfield's infield single to third.
Washington and Lee got its first runs of the day in the bottom of the frame, scoring three times. With one down, Austin Crane put down a bunt single to third and then moved to second when Nick Biumi was hit by a pitch. Myer singled to first base to load the bases. Kyle Ruedisili sent a fly to left that was deep enough to drive in a run, but the ensuing throw eluded everyone, allowing Biumi and Myer to move up. Weprinsky followed with a single down the right field line, driving in both Generals' runners.
Roanoke leveled the scored in the fifth inning. Cassity led off with a single and stole second, followed by a Black walk. Brian Kluge put down a bunt to third, which he beat out for an infield single to load the bases. Decker flied out to center to bring in Cassity.
The Maroons were methodical in gaining the lead and adding to it, scoring once in each of the final three innings. Hodgert doubled to left-center to bring around Kluge in the seventh inning. Cassity brought in Dan Brodeur with a sac fly to center in the eighth, and Hodgert collected his third RBI of the game with a single back up the middle to score Decker in the ninth.
Chad Hill worked a scoreless eighth inning before handing the ball over to Gregory. The Maroons' closer logged his first save of the season with an uneventful ninth inning, wrapping Richards' second win of the season. He is now 2-0.
Drew Shott (2-2) took the loss for W&L after giving up one run on two hits in two innings. Cory Smith was tagged for two runs on two hits in a pair of frames out of the Generals' pen.
Hodgert led Roanoke with three hits to go with three RBI. Cassity and Decker both had a pair of knocks. Weprinsky led W&L with two RBI.
The Maroons return to action on Tuesday, March 31, with a single contest against Emory & Henry College. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at Lewis-Gale Field in Salem.
