Maroons Advance to ODAC Championship Weekend With 4-1 Win Over Washington and Lee

Maroons Advance to ODAC Championship Weekend With 4-1 Win Over Washington and Lee

The Basics
Score: Roanoke 4, Washington and Lee 1
Records: Maroons 27-15; Generals 18-17
Location: Rocky Mount, Va.

The Lead: The No. 3 seed Roanoke baseball team won game two of the best-of-three series with No. 6 seed Washington and Lee with a 4-1 win on Sunday afternoon at WW Naff Jr. Field in Rocky Mount. 

Highlights:

  • Roanoke got on the board in the top of the first on a Conner Butler sacrifice fly to left field that scored Jacob Bonzon who had reached base earlier in the inning on a walk, giving the Maroons a 1-0 lead. 
  • With one out in the top of the third, Jonny Wall hit a single to right and was followed by a Butler home run over the fence in left field for two more RBIs and a 3-0 Maroon lead. 
  • Carson McCusker and Bonzon led off the fourth with walks. On a pitch to Mason Staz, both attempted to steal their next bases but a throw down to third in an attempt to get out McCusker was off the mark and allowed both runners to take an extra base with McCusker scoring Roanoke's fourth run of the game.
  • It would be the seventh inning before the next run was added to the scoreboard with the Generals scoring on a single to right to cut the lead down to 4-1. 
  • Just like game one, the Maroons got three strikeouts in the ninth to close out the win and advance to the ODAC Championship weekend.
  • Jackson Murphy earned his fifth win of the season, pitching the first seven innings while striking out 10. Owen Ledford pitched the final 1.1 innings with three strikeouts to earn his second save.

Up next: Roanoke will travel to the University of Richmond where the ODAC Championship weekend will take place Thursday, May 11 through Saturday, May 13. The other teams advancing to the weekend include two other of the top four seeds (No. 2 Shenandoah and No. 4 Randolph-Macon). Game 3 between No. 1 Lynchburg and No. 8 Bridgewater is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Monday, May 8.