HARRISONBURG, Va. (EMU Athletics) – It was a windy and unseasonably warm Wednesday for baseball at Royals Field in Harrisonburg as EMU played host to local non-conference rival Mary Baldwin, seeking to get above .500. The Royals did so in emphatic fashion, putting on a clinic with 22 hits from 12 different batters on a way to a convincing 20-1 win.
Ben Florkowski and Alberto Weaver got their first career collegiate hits, while Caleb Gonzales earned his first hit as a Royal in the closing minutes of a game that ended after seven innings due to the 10-run rule. Noah Sanderson also had a standout day, falling just a base hit shy of the cycle.
Records: EMU 7-6 | Mary Baldwin 2-10
WP: Walker Dixon (1-1)
LP: Lance Gowans (1-2)
Highlights
• The two teams exchanged scoreless frames in the first inning, but the Diamond Royals seized control of the game in the bottom of the second. The Royals got their first run when Jett Cabanban got a base to left field and then Noah Sanderson took advantage of a fielding error by Mary Baldwin’s left fielder to put EMU up 1-0.
• EMU began to collect extra-base hits as Hadikell Bruno doubled to left field to bring in Cabanban. A few batters later, Dalton Rocke aimed a double to right field in between three Flying Squirrel fielders, allowing Bruno to score. Rocke later touched home himself thanks to a wild pitch. That put the Royals in front 4-0 through two innings.
• After maintaining the shutout in the top of the third, the Royals busted the game wide open in the bottom half of the inning, racking up a lucky 13 runs. Erik Wilkinson sparked the rally with a double to left center, bring Aidan Miller around to score. The next batter was Michael Duncan, who bashed a single up the middle to bring in Wilkinson. Sanderson then unleashed the power bat with a two-run home run to right field. This made the score EMU 8, Mary Baldwin 0.
• EMU’s carousel around the bases continued as Rocke hit an RBI groundout to allow Cabanban to touch home. McGinnis smashed a double to left center, clearing the way for Bruno and Trevor Gjormand to reach home. Then, with ducks all over the pond, Sanderson bashed a bases-clearing triple to right field. Immediately following him, Cabanban hammered a two-run home run to the deepest part of the ballpark. Bruno capped off the outstanding inning with an RBI double to left center, bringing in Cabanban. With that, the Diamond Royals pulled out to lengthy 17-0 lead.
• The game moved quickly through the fourth and fifth innings with no more runs tacked on the scoreboard. In the top of the sixth, Mary Baldwin tallied their lone run of the game on a solo homer by Wesley Strychowski. The Royals answered swiftly with three additional runs in the bottom of the sixth. Caleb Gonzales belted a two-RBI double to left center to plate Florkowski and Kyler Rodgers. Weaver put the cherry on top with a double to left center to bring Gonzales. Eli Monroe came on the mound in the seventh to officially shut the door on the Fighting Squirrels.
Statistical Leaders
Miller: 4-for-4, 2 runs
Sanderson: 3-for-4, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 runs, 5 RBIs
Cabanban: 2-for-3, HR, 3 runs, 3 RBIs
McGinnis: 2-for-3, 2B, run, 2 RBIs
Wilkinson: 2-for-3, 2B, 2 runs, RBI
Dixon: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER
Monroe: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 Ks
What’s Next
The Diamond Royals will need to lock back in quickly as they host Regent for a doubleheader at Royals Field tomorrow, Thursday, March 12. First pitch of game one in the showdown of Royals is set for 12 p.m.
— EMU Athletics —
