NORFOLK, Va. – The Virginia Wesleyan College Baseball Team (9-5, 9-1 ODAC) picked up a pair of Old Dominion Athletic Conference wins over visiting Emory & Henry College (3-19, 1-10 ODAC) Saturday afternoon. The Marlins won game one by a 6-4 score and prevailed in game two, 13-1,
Game One – Virginia Wesleyan 6, Emory & Henry 4
Emory & Henry got out to a 3-0 lead after the first two innings. A RBI-single by senior first baseman Bransen Christopher (Hickory, N.C.) got things going while a one-out double by sophomore left fielder Matthew Whisnant (Connelly Springs, N.C.) highlighted the second frame.
VWC closed the gap to 3-2 in the third and took a 4-3 lead in the fifth. The fifth inning runs came on a single by Jordan Miller. Errors proved costly in both innings as all four runs were unearned.
E&H got a run back in the top of the sixth when senior designated hitter Kevin Nelson (Johnson City, Tenn.) tagged a two-out home run to make the score 4-4.
The Marlins got a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the contest. A hit batsman and a walk with the bases loaded gave Virginia Wesleyan its runs, pushing the score to 6-4. E&H got a pair of runners on base with one out in the top of the ninth but couldn't get the ball out of the infield to score.
Justin Erby had three hits and two runs while Miller added two hits and four RBI. Josh Mason earned the win in relief while Austin Gammon was credited with the save.
Nelson had two runs, a hit and a RBI while junior right fielder Brandon Lineberry (Hillsville, Va.) and freshman second baseman Jacob Lykins (Hickory, N.C.) tallied a pair of base knocks each. Junior left-hander Caelan Canaday (Browns Summit, N.C.) took the loss allowing two runs on two hits with three walks in two innings pitched.
Game Two – Virginia Wesleyan 13, Emory & Henry 1
Virginia Wesleyan broke open a 1-0 game with eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Taylor Erby, C.J. Lindsay and Zach Bach each had two-run base hits in the frame for the Marlins.
Emory & Henry got on the board in the top of the sixth when Lineberry hit a solo, two-out home run, making the score 9-1.
VWC added two runs in the sixth and two more in the eighth for the final 13-1 margin.
Lindsay went three-for-five with two runs and two hits while Bach had two hits, three RBI and three runs. Casey King went two-for-two with three RBI as well. Nick Bay earned the win, allowing just one run on three this with four strikeouts in seven innings of work.
Lineberry's solo home run was the highlight of the Wasps' offense as they managed just four hits on the afternoon. Junior right-hander Ty Hill (Knoxville, Tenn.) took the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings pitched with three strikeouts. Nelson came on to pitch the final 3.2 innings in relief, striking out seven despite allowing eight runs.
Emory & Henry will remain on the road on Sunday when it travels to face Hampden-Sydney College in an ODAC doubleheader at noon. The contests were originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, February 28 but winter weather forced their postponement.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15