Photos by Charlie Leffler
Above: R-MC’s Brian Jordan takes advantage of a shot down the third base line to score from first. Below: Kyle Hicks came one out from carding a complete game shutout of Emory & Henry in Sunday’s double-header opener.

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  Ashland, Va.- Just two weeks ago, the season was not looking very promising for the Randolph-Macon baseball team. After getting off to a 3-2 start the Yellow Jackets dropped seven of their next nine games.

  But recently the team has seen a reversal of fortune as the young players have begun to gel with the more experienced leaders allowing R-MC to win five of their last six games.

  On Sunday afternoon, the Yellow Jackets continued their roll, running past visiting Emory & Henry in double-header action; taking the pair of games 8-1 and 10-1.

  More importantly the team is starting to hit its stride as the regular season winds down to its final 12 games. Over their last four games, R-MC has gone on an offensive roll by outscoring their opponents 60-19.  With Sunday’s pair of wins R-MC moves to 10-9 overall and sit in second place with a 7-3 Old Dominion Conference record.

  “We’re playing good right now,” said senior pitcher Kyle Hicks. “Our freshmen are really coming together now.”

  “It started off kind of rough but I think we finally got it figured out,” said sophomore centerfielder Brian Jordan. “We’re on a little bit of a roll right now. I think we’ll be in pretty good shape.

  And the former Goochland High School standout should know about being on a roll. This week Jordan was named ODAC Player of the Week after going 9-for-19 at the plate with three doubles, nine RBI, six walks and ten runs scored over the past four games.

  Currently Jordan is second on the team and ninth in the ODAC with a .400 batting average and is tied for the team RBI lead with 18 runs batted in.

  What makes the current run even more impressive is the fact that R-MC continues to improve despite losing junior third baseman Greg Mitro and senior short stop Adam Carpenter to injury. To compound matters, Jordan has been unable to pitch in relief. But the losses have actually created a since of unity within the team.

  “Now even with Adam hurt and Mitro hurt and BJ (Jordan) not being able to pitch I think we’re coming together really good,” Hicks said. “When we get all of three them back we ought to right.”

  In Sunday’s opener, with his younger brother, UVA standout John in the crowd, Kyle Hicks got the start on the mound coming one out from a complete game shut-out of the Wasps.

  While not a perfect game, Hicks showed his determination by battling back from adversity more than once.

  In the top of the second Hicks got into a jam with one out after giving up a walk, a single then hitting a batter. But the former Goochland standout bounced back to strike out the next two and escape without damage.

  In the top of the fifth Hicks found himself in a similar situation after giving up a single and a walk. But Hicks fielded a bunt to catch a runner at third then struck out the next two to once again keep Emory & Henry scoreless.

  “I walked too many people one thing,” he said. “But all I had to do was let (E&H) hit it I knew (R-MC) would catch it.”

  Because of his ability to get out of jams, the other players are confident when Hicks is on the mound. “Kyle’s our one,” said freshman right fielder Jeb Weymouth. “He has all his pitches and throws all his strikes and hits stops and I just think makes it tough.”

  Jordan got the Yellow Jackets rolling offensively in the bottom of the third. After Ryan Hughes singled to right, Jordan came to the plate sending a double to left center to drive in Hughes for a 1-0 lead. Jordan reached third on a sacrifice to center by Kevin Davis then scored on a sacrifice to deep right by Weymouth.

  In the bottom of the sixth, R-MC added six more runs and Jordan was in the middle of the action. Holding a 6-0 lead, Jordan singled off the first baseman’s glove driving in James Bierlien. Jordan then scored from first when Davis doubled down the third base line.

  In the second game, Jordan scored one of three runs on three hits in the first inning as R-MC continued to roll.

  In the second inning, Jordan doubled home Bierlein then scored on a pass ball for a 5-0 lead.

  Jordan believes the key to R-MC’s sudden success has simply been a matter of gaining confidence. “We have the talent to beat anyone in our league or anyone in any other league,” he said. “We’ve got to know that we can beat anybody on any given day.”

  -Something that bodes well for the rest of the season. “I think we’re doing very well,” Weymouth said. “The pitchers are throwing strikes and the hitters are hitting it. Everything’s starting to fall into place.”
 
E & H….............. 000 000 1 -  1 5 2
R-MC….............. 002 006 X -  8 8 0

E - Pierce; Moyer. DP - E&H 1. LOB - E&H 8; R-MC 4. 2B - Rigney; Jordan;
Davis; Weymouth; Bierlein. HBP - Pierce; Unger; Jackson. SF - Davis;
Weymouth. SB - Jordan; Lichter.

E & H ............ 000 000 100 -  1 9 2
R-MC…....... 320 301 10X - 10 15 0
E - Pierce; Surber. DP - R-MC 1. LOB - E&H 11; R-MC 11. 2B - Lowry; Jordan; Weymouth; Lichter 3; Hughes. SH - Hughes. SF - Hannum. SB - Lowry; Lichter 2; Bierlein. CS - Davis.

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