Justin and Chris Rodriguez get it all the time: “Are you guy’s brothers?”

Naturally, two Miami kids with the same last name and the same Cuban heritage who played at the same high school and are now on the same college baseball team more than 1,000 miles away from home must be related.

Nope.

But they do have this in common: The two freshmen are hammering baseballs for 91����Ƶ this season.

“My assistant and I were talking the other week,” coach Jason Stuhlmiller said, “and we said, ‘We wish we had eight other Rodríguezes’. Just a team of Rodríguezes’.”

Justin, a 6-foot-1 third baseman with an angular jaw and sienna brown hair formed into a faux-hawk, leads the Royals (10-19) with a .412 batting average, four home runs and 38 RBIs through 29 games as 91����Ƶ heads into the final two weeks of the regular season. Chris, a 5-foot-7 outfielder with a rounder face and short, black hair, is hitting .393 with less power but plenty of pop. Justin bats right; Chris bats lefty. Justin hits third in the order, Chris leads off. Justin wears No. 25; Chris dons No. 6.

But again, for every difference, there’s a similarity.

They’ll work anybody under the table,” Stuhlmiller said. “They’re the hardest working kids in the weight room, on the field, off the field. That’s the kind of kid that we’re after in recruiting.”

Stuhlmiller, in his first season as 91����Ƶ’s head coach, has a connection with a recruiting agency in Miami, which is how he learned of the Rodríguezes’, who both attended powerhouse Pace High School in Miramar, Fla.

Under coach Tom Duffin, 78 of 82 seniors to come through Pace have played collegiately or professionally. The team has been ranked No. 1 in the nation, and has featured players such as Washington Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez and first baseman Chris Marrerro, the Nats’ first round selection in 2006.

Certainly there were scouts watching the Rodríguezes’ play at Pace, but somehow, “both were flying under the radar as far as recruiting,” Duffin said.

Neither received an offer to play at a Division I school. Justin said he probably could have walked on at Division II Barry University or St. Thomas University of the NAIA, “but here was a school that actually wanted me,” he said of Division III 91����Ƶ. “And I really wanted to go somewhere that really wanted me and where I would play.”

They didn’t make the decision jointly, but the mutual interest helped both Justin and Chris choose to leave glitzy Miami for the tranquil Shenandoah Valley.

Duffin says it’s usually difficult for Miami kids to leave home. For one, Latin families are typically very tight-knit, and family-oriented.

“Mommy spoils them,” Duffin said, admitting that he’s generalizing. “Mommy wants them to stay home. …Going to the Virginia area – it’s tough. It’s a culture shock. …Not every kid can adjust to that.”

Justin and Chris took the chance and traded their swimsuits for hiking boots. Each said he’s happy now, and for a similar reason.

“It’s a lot different from Miami,” said Chris, a biology major and aspiring dentist. “Quiet and stuff. …At first, it was hard to get used to it, but it’s good, especially for school. Because it’s calmer than Miami. Not as much going on.”

“It’s very different from Miami,” Justin echoed. “I get to concentrate more on my studies. It’s a friendly atmosphere; I guess you could say, I like it here.”

Of course, it isn’t as hard to enjoy yourself when you’re rapping the ball like the Rodríguezes’. Prior to a 6-5 loss at Washington & Lee on Wednesday, Chris had gone 16-for-26 (.615) in the previous five games, picking up multiple hits in each.

Justin, meanwhile has had multiple hits in each of his last seven games, going 16pfor-33 (.485) including all four of his home runs as well as 12 RBIs.

“Just practicing and sticking with my swing,” Justin said is the reason behind his hot streak. “I think my mental aspect is most of it. I feel confident up there.”

The two players show up one and half hours before games to hone their swings by thumping balls off batting tees, according to Stuhlmiller. They, along with sophomore catcher Jonathan Estrada (from Doral, Fla.) and freshman outfielder Bryan Melendez (Lansdale, Pa.), form what the Royals call “The Hispanic Connection.”

Stuhlmiller, who also has a connection with Doral Academy, hopes to keep tapping the Miami area for overlooked talent.

“The game experience that they have – you can definitely tell in the way they play ball,” he said. “Polished is probably the word, but it’s also that they know the game of baseball. …They just know how to play the game correctly.”

The Royals committed three errors in the top of the second and fell behind their visitors 8-2.  Despite the early deficit, the men kept attacking and chiseled the lead down to 8-6 after three.

SVU scored a pair of unearned runs in the fourth, and added a two-run homer in the sixth, but the Royals again responded with a six-run deficit.

(Mechanicsville, VA/Lee-Davis) led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and the rest of the team followed suit.  After a walk, hit batter, and seven hits, Eastern Mennonite grabbed momentum with eight runs, jumping ahead 14-12.  (Miami, FL/Doral Academy) ripped a two-run triple in the inning, and (Miami, FL/Pace) also had a two-run three bagger which gave the Royals the lead.

Southern Virginia scored once in the seventh to get within 14-13.  The men responded by scoring three more times, and reliever (Louisa, VA/Louisa County) got a one-two-three inning in the eighth and a rally-killing double play in the ninth to save the win.

The Royals banged out 18 hits combined with seven walks to snap their seven-game losing streak.  Chris Rodriguez went 4-5 with a walk out of the leadoff spot.  He scored three times and added three RBIs while finishing a homerun short of the cycle.  (Stafford, VA/Mountain View) was 3-5 with a walk and was one of six men to score two or more times.  (Sterling, VA/Park View) was 2-4 with a walk, driving in a game high four runs while scoring twice.

(Miramar, FL/Pace) finished 2-4 with two walks and Estrada was 2-3 with two RBIs.  Both players scored two runs, as did (Waynesboro, VA/Fort Defiance).

(Williamsburg, VA/Lafayette) started for 91����Ƶ and took a no decision after getting chased in the second.  (Chesterfield, VA/Manchester), the men’s fourth pitcher, allowed two runs over 2.0 innings and earned the win to improve to 2-1.  Harlow struck out four and allowed one run for a three-inning save.

The Royals will look to improve their 1-6 ODAC record when they host Hampden-Sydney on Saturday.  The doubleheader starts at noon.

Each team brought in a solo run in the first, with (Miramar, FL/Pace) bringing in 91����Ƶ’s on a sacrifice fly.  The Mountaineers scored their second unearned run in the third, but the home team followed suit in the bottom of the inning when Chris Rodriguez (Miami, FL/Pace) scored as (Sterling, VA/Park View) was caught in a run-down between first and second.

Eastern Mennonite starter (Louisa, VA/Louisa County) continued sailing through the SVC lineup when he got some run support in the fifth.  With an infield single and a pair of walks, 91����Ƶ had the bases loaded with two away.  Justin Rodriguez ripped a double to right field, plating a pair of runs.  Smith was out at home trying to score from first, and was ejected for his collision at the plate, but the Royals had the 4-2 edge.

Southern Vermont broke through in the seventh, tying the game with two runs on a bases loaded single.  But Harlow limited the damage by getting a grounder to third for an inning-ending double play.

Christian Rodriguez led off the bottom of the seventh by beating out a single, but he sat on second with two outs.  The Mountaineers should have escaped unscathed, but the left fielder dropped a fly ball from (Chesterfield, VA/Manchester) which would have ended the inning.  A run scored to put the men ahead, but SVC imploded from there, committing two more errors and giving up three additional hits.

By the time the dust settled on the long inning, 91����Ƶ had sent 12 men to the plate and seven had scored, all unearned with two outs.  The Royals led 11-5 and never gave up the lead.

Toney, who had replaced Smith at first, led off the eighth with a bomb over the left field wall, and the Mountaineers added a grand slam in the ninth, but Eastern Mennonite held on for the 12-9 decision.

The Royals only out-hit SVC by two, 15-13, but were helped by five Mountaineer errors.  was a sparkplug from the bottom of the order, singling all four times he batted.  The freshman scored three runs and knocked in one.

Justin Rodriguez went 3-4 with three RBIs and a run.  Toney scored twice and (Bridgewater, VA/Turner Ashby) had two RBIs.  (Stafford, VA/Mountain View) and (Waynesboro, VA/Fort Defiance) each added two hits to the balanced attack.

Harlow threw seven strong innings, allowing just two earned runs to get his first win of the year.  (Crozet, VA/Western Albemarle) pitched 1-1/3 innings while Banglesdorf came in for the final two outs.

After scoring 45 runs in the weekend three-game sweep of Southern Virginia, Eastern Mennonite is now 4-5 overall.  Next up the men step into ODAC play, traveling to Randolph-Macon for a doubleheader on Saturday.

NC Wesleyan 5, 91����Ƶ 2
In game one, the Royals jumped on the board in their first at-bat of the year.  Freshman (Lansdale, PA/Christopher Dock) led off with a double to right.  He took third when (Sterling, PA/Park View) reach on a two-out error.  Smith was subsequently picked off first base, but he stayed in the pickle long enough for Melendez to touch home.

The Battling Bishops took the lead in the bottom of the second with a pair of runs.  But 91����Ƶ came right back in the third.

(Miami, FL/Pace) led off with a walk and scored when Melendez smacked his second double.  (Crozet, VA/Western Albemarle) sacrificed Melendez to third, but a pair of infield outs ended the frame with the score tied at 2-2.

North Carolina Wesleyan strung together three hits in the fifth to plate three runs and go back on top.  The men then got two runners on in the sixth, but a pair of fly balls ended the threat.

Melendez walked to lead off the Royal’s final chance in the seventh, but a double play emptied the bases and cut down the rally.

(Louisa, VA/Louisa County) took the opening day start and took the loss.  He gave up only six hits, but allowed five runs (four earned) while striking out four.  Freshman (Shippensburg, PA/Shippensburg) struck out two in his one inning.

Melendez had a successful debut, reaching base in all four of his trips to the plate and factoring in both of 91����Ƶ’s runs.  He finished with two doubles and two walks, scoring one run and driving in the other.  Smith and (Selinsgrove, PA/Selinsgrove) had the other two of the men’s four hits.

91����Ƶ 9, NC Wesleyan 1
The Royals were in control in the nine-inning nightcap.  (Miramar, FL/Pace) laced a two-run, two-out single in the men’s first at-bat, then brought in the first run of a three-run rally in the third by getting hit with a pitch.

The Battling Bishops scored their lone run on a two-out single in the fifth, but 91����Ƶ put up back-to-back two-spots in the 6^th and 7^th.  Melendez shot a two-run long ball to right to provide the final runs on the team’s first homerun of the year.

Eastern Mennonite had 10 hits in the second game, and junior transfer (Varina, VA/Varina) scattered five hits over seven innings in his 91����Ƶ debut.  He struck out six.  (New Market, VA/Stonewall Jackson) provided two inning of scoreless relief.

Melendez finished 2-5 with three runs and a pair of RBIs from his homer.  Smith had three hits including one double.

Justin Rodriguez finished with a pair of hits and four RBIs.  Sophomore (Miami, FL/Doral Academy) scored three runs.

The Royals, now 1-1, return to Harrisonburg for their home opener on Wednesday.  Mary Washington will come in for a single game at 3:00pm.