Big Third Inning Spells Defeat for Marlins

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The No.6-ranked Randolph-Macon College baseball team scored five runs in the third inning, defeating Virginia Wesleyan College 10-1 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) action Wednesday afternoon.

Junior Austin Gammon (2-1) made his second start on the year for the Marlins, holding the powerful Yellow Jacket offense hitless through two innings.

The Randolph-Macon offense came to life in the third inning as Jeffrey Butler singled to right and stole second, scoring on Rick Spiers mammoth homerun to left-center field.

A pair of errors and a walk set the table for Nick Maiolo who singled home Christian Sanderson for a 3-0 lead. A Mitchell Keeler sacrifice fly and a Michael Trentham single provided the final two runs in the spurt.

The Yellow Jackets tacked on a pair of runs in the sixth inning and three more in the ninth to pull away. Four different Randolph-Macon batters produced RBIs in those two innings.

Virginia Wesleyan tried to make a charge in the bottom of the ninth as Justin Erby singled to center with one out. A groundout advanced Erby to second where he raced home on a Brandon Kussmaul single to center.

Erby and Kussmaul had two hits each for the Marlins.

Nic Phelps (2-0) allowed one earned run for No. 6 Randolph-Macon (24-5-1/10-5) in a complete game, four-hit effort. He struck out 11 and did not walk a batter.

Virginia Wesleyan (16-11/10-6) hosts No. 7 Shenandoah University Saturday at 1 p.m. for an ODAC doubleheader. It will be Senior Day for the Marlins as three players are scheduled to be recognized between games.