The Royals committed three errors in the top of the second and fell behind their visitors 8-2.聽 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.聽 After a walk, hit batter, and seven hits, Eastern Mennonite grabbed momentum with eight runs, jumping ahead 14-12.聽 (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.聽 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.聽 Chris Rodriguez went 4-5 with a walk out of the leadoff spot.聽 He scored three times and added three RBIs while finishing a homerun short of the cycle.聽 (Stafford, VA/Mountain View) was 3-5 with a walk and was one of six men to score two or more times.聽 (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.聽 Both players scored two runs, as did (Waynesboro, VA/Fort Defiance).

(Williamsburg, VA/Lafayette) started for 91短视频 and took a no decision after getting chased in the second.聽 (Chesterfield, VA/Manchester), the men’s fourth pitcher, allowed two runs over 2.0 innings and earned the win to improve to 2-1.聽 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.聽 The doubleheader starts at noon.

Each team brought in a solo run in the first, with (Miramar, FL/Pace) bringing in 91短视频’s on a sacrifice fly.聽 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.聽 With an infield single and a pair of walks, 91短视频 had the bases loaded with two away.聽 Justin Rodriguez ripped a double to right field, plating a pair of runs.聽 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.聽 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.聽 The Mountaineers should have escaped unscathed, but the left fielder dropped a fly ball from (Chesterfield, VA/Manchester) which would have ended the inning.聽 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短视频 had sent 12 men to the plate and seven had scored, all unearned with two outs.聽 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.聽 was a sparkplug from the bottom of the order, singling all four times he batted.聽 The freshman scored three runs and knocked in one.

Justin Rodriguez went 3-4 with three RBIs and a run.聽 Toney scored twice and (Bridgewater, VA/Turner Ashby) had two RBIs.聽 (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.聽 (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.聽 Next up the men step into ODAC play, traveling to Randolph-Macon for a doubleheader on Saturday.

NC Wesleyan 5, 91短视频 2
In game one, the Royals jumped on the board in their first at-bat of the year.聽 Freshman (Lansdale, PA/Christopher Dock) led off with a double to right.聽 He took third when (Sterling, PA/Park View) reach on a two-out error.聽 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.聽 But 91短视频 came right back in the third.

(Miami, FL/Pace) led off with a walk and scored when Melendez smacked his second double.聽 (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.聽 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.聽 He gave up only six hits, but allowed five runs (four earned) while striking out four.聽 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短视频’s runs.聽 He finished with two doubles and two walks, scoring one run and driving in the other.聽 Smith and (Selinsgrove, PA/Selinsgrove) had the other two of the men’s four hits.

91短视频 9, NC Wesleyan 1
The Royals were in control in the nine-inning nightcap.聽 (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短视频 put up back-to-back two-spots in the 6^th and 7^th.聽 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短视频 debut.聽 He struck out six.聽 (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.聽 Smith had three hits including one double.

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

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

91短视频 closed with an 11-17 mark last year including 6-12 in ODAC play. The Royals finished just behind sixth-place Washington & Lee at 8-10. The two teams split their two regular season meetings, meaning if the Royals would have swept W&L they would have made the six-team ODAC Tournament for the first time since 2002.

Senior first baseman Jake Norman batted .341 in 2010 and committed just four errors all season.

Aside from returning four pitchers from the starting rotation and last year’s closer, the men also bring back Smith as their starting catcher. He batted .458 as a sophomore, topping the league, and took home All-ODAC Second Team honors. Center fielder Chris Harpine (Fredericksburg, Va./Colonial Forge) batted .330 with four homeruns and 13 doubles and was named All-ODAC Honorable Mention.

Eastern Mennonite opens its 2011 season this Sunday, Feb. 6, with a doubleheader at North Carolina Wesleyan in Rocky Mount, NC.

In what could be a telling sign for the upcoming season, just 15 points separated the top four teams in the 2011 ODAC Preseason Poll. Bridgewater College stands at the top, having secured four first place votes on the way to 90 total poll points in the annual survey of the league’s coaches. Randolph-Macon sits just two points back with 88 tallies, but the Yellow Jackets received five first place nods. Virginia Wesleyan College is third with 80 points, and Lynchburg is fourth with 75 markers. Guilford College earned the final first place vote.

Bridgewater collected an ODAC-best 13th conference title in 2010, having defeated Lynchburg twice on the tournament’s final day to hoist the conference hardware. Those victories would mark the last for BC in 2010 as losses to Shenandoah and Salisbury in the NCAA Division III Tournament ended the Eagles experience in the double-elimination event.

For the 2011 campaign, BC welcomes back its top two hitters in second baseman Kevin Kirk and catcher Devon Snow. Kirk finished 12th in the ODAC with a .398 batting average, proving one of the toughest hitters to strike out (7 in 133 at-bats). Snow hit at a .391 clip, good enough for 14th in the league, and led the team with 15 stolen bases.

Randolph-Macon opens up its new home in 2011 with the completion of Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park. Five all-conference performers return to break in the new digs, including 2010 ODAC Pitcher of the Year, Kyle Hicks. Hicks led the ODAC with a 2.15 ERA in posting a 6-2 record. He fanned 48 and walked just 11 in 54.1 innings.

Virginia Wesleyan will look to plenty of new faces both at the plate and on the mound. All-ODAC First Team outfielder Myles Shipp leads an offense that looks to replace the efforts of All-American and ODAC Player of the Year, Mike Marion. Shipp was eighth in the ODAC with a .415 batting average, collecting 20 walks towards a .497 OBP.

Lynchburg (23-16-1, 10-8) welcomes back a trio of second team choices in first baseman Chris Colquhoun (.331) shortstop Richard Palase (.301) and designated hitter Brock Shiflett (.397). Shiflett, the reigning ODAC Rookie of the Year, collected 14 doubles as part of 56 hits.

Hampden-Sydney fields a strong group of returners, led by a pair of All-ODAC First Team choices in first baseman Justin Hebert (.382, 8 HR) and shortstop Chris Martin (.342, 22 BB). The Tigers boast one of the conference’s top leadoff men in outfielder Herbie Williams (.423), who led the ODAC with six triples and was second with 34 stolen bases.

Washington and Lee and Guilford both return standout talent. All-ODAC Second Team pitcher Roger Strong leads the Generals’ staff after posting a 4-2 record and a 3.28 ERA. Shortstop Jonathan Stutts hit .345.

The Quakers welcome back former NCAA batting champion Kyle Wooden to the dugout following a junior campaign in which he batted .341 with 13 doubles, eight homers and 33 RBI.

Roanoke will rely upon new faces across the diamond. Mark Manthe (.263) is the top returning bat, while the pitching staff will look for Michael Haslam (1-3, 27 K) and John Terlesky (2-0, 30 K) to take over the reins.

Emory & Henry features the return of top hitter Eric Houff, who was sixth in the ODAC with a .425 batting average.

Listed below is the complete 2010 ODAC Baseball Preseason Poll. For more information go to the ODAC’s home on the Internet at

2011 ODAC BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL
(#) Denotes First Place Votes

1. Bridgewater (4) – 90 pts.
2. Randolph-Macon (5) – 88 pts.
3. Virginia Wesleyan – 80 pts.
4. Lynchburg – 75 pts.
5. Hampden-Sydney – 54 pts.
6. Washington and Lee – 50 pts.
7. Guilford (1) – 44 pts.
8. Eastern Mennonite – 32 pts.
9. Roanoke – 23 pts.
10. Emory & Henry – 14 pts.

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