HARRISONBURG, Va. -- If Eastern Mennonite University's baseball team members did not know who Shayne Paskanikwas before Saturday's Old Dominion Athletic Conference doubleheaer, they certainly know all about him now. (Game 1 Box) (Game 2 Box)

Paskanik (Fredericksburg, Va./Colonial Forge),a Virginia Wesleyan College junior, hit for a blazing .777 showing to guide the Marlins to an 8-5, 7-2 sweep of the Royals on the EMU field.  Paskanik took the hitting spotlight early, producing a 5-for-5 effort in the first game, including a double and lead-off homer in the ninth.  He added two singles in the second game for the Marlins (6-8, 2-2).

VWC's big offensive showing in the first game was followed by a pitching gem in the second contest.  Cameron Butler (Virginia Beach/Landstown)not only pitched a complete game in the 7-2 win, but also struck out 14 Royals...the second highest total in VWC history, just two shy of the Marlin single-game record set by David Imperato in 2005.

Butler walked two batters and scattered 10 hits and two earned runs en route to improving to 2-2 overall.

It was the second standout pitching effort of the day for the Marlins, as senior Alex DeJesus (Norfolk, Va./Lake Taylor) improved to 2-1 on the mound in the first game.  He worked all nine innings, struck out nine batters and walked three.  EMU banged out 13 hits and recorded five earned runs.

Jason Tate (Herndon, Va./Herndon) and Jon Trice (Stuarts Draft, Va./Stuarts Draft) pitched for EMU, with Tate (1-3) in action through the first seven innings.  He struck out six batters, gave up 13 hits and allowe seven earned runs.

VWC finished with 16 hits overall, including a two-run home run from junior Mike McCutcheon (Chesapeake, Va./Deep Creek) in the sixth inning.  Sophomore Jacob Pierce (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) belted a double and single and Gage Collins (Newport News, Va./Menchville) and Steve Jones (Virginia Beach/Lake Taylor) stroked two singles each.

EMU (4-11, 0-4) led 3-2 after five innings, but VWC took the lead for good in the top of the sixth with a four-run surge.  Paskanik hit a one-out single, McCutcheon followed with his two run blast, and Josh Miller (Norfolk, Va./Chesapeake Greenbrier Christian) and Jones added singles in the inning to help bring in the runs.

Chris Harpine (Fredericksburg, Va./Colonial Forge) finished 4-for-5 for the Royals in the first game and B.J. Mortimer (Mechanicsville, Va./Lee-Davis) and Dylan Smith (Sterling, Va./Park View) led EMU with two hits each in the second game.

Pierce knocked out his fifth home run of the season for VWC in the second game, which included a pair of doubles from junior Myles Shipp (Virginia Beach/First Colonial),a double and single each from Jones and McCutcheon, and two Paskanik singles.

Virginia Wesleyan never trailed, taking a 1-0 lead in the second on a grounder by Miller that scored Paskanik, who opened the inning by reaching base on an error.  

VWC tacked on solo runs in the fourth and fifth inning and created distance with a four-run sixth.  Paskanik started that inning with a single, McCutcheon followed with a double and Miller and Collins came through with singles, before EMU recorded the first out.

Andy Richter (Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) pitched seven innings for EMU, before Thomas Worley (Prince George, Va./Prince George) entered to finish.  They combined to strike out four batters, walk two and give up 12 hits and six earned runs.

Virginia Wesleyan competes again on Wednesday, Mar. 9, against Connecticut's Albertus Magnus College at 2:30 p.m. on Marlins Field.

--AMDG--