The rust showed on Saturday after a week off, as the Royals couldn't cash in on their chances at ODAC opponent Lynchburg.  Despite out-hitting the Hornets on the day, Eastern Mennonite's baseball team dropped both games of the doubleheader, slipping to 13-12 overall and 3-5 in the conference.

Lynchburg 7, EMU 1
The Hornets methodically built a 6-0 lead after seven innings in game one.  EMU finally broke through in the eighth when Justin Rodriguez (Miramar, FL/Pace) and Austin Oliver (Gordonsville, VA/Orange County) opened with back-to-back singles.  Rodriguez scored on a double play ball, but that would be it for the Royals.

Oliver and B.J. Mortimer (Mechanicsville, VA/Lee-Davis) each had a pair of singles.  Adam Posey (Poquoson, VA/Poquoson) (4-1) pitched 6.0 innings and took his first loss of the year.  Austin Marzullo (Shippensburg, PA/Shippensburg) gave up a run in two innings of relief.

Lynchburg 5, EMU 3
The Royals put their bats together in the nightcap and jumped in front with two runs in the top of the first.  Kyle Armstrong (Greenville, VA/Riverheads) had an RBI double and Mortimer hit into an RBI groundout.

But Lynchburg took over in the bottom of the frame.  The home team strung together three hits and plated three runs to go ahead 3-2.

Armstrong knocked in Ryan McAlister (Bridgewater, VA/Turner Ashby) with a sacrifice fly in the third, tying the score at 3-3.

The game stayed tied until the bottom of the fifth, when the Hornets scored on a two-out single.  They singled in another run in the sixth go up, 5-3.

EMU threatened in the seventh, but the inning ended with Armstrong being thrown out at home.  Rodriguez hit a one-out double in the eighth, but was stranded there.  And the top of the order went down 1-2-3 in the ninth, giving Lynchburg the win.

McAlister led the 13-hit attack by going 3-5 with a run.  Armstrong had a pair of doubles with two RBIs.  Jonathan Estrada (Miami, FL/Doral Academy) went 2-5 with a run and Rodriguez also had a pair of hits.

Daniel Stanley (Henrico, VA/Varina) (4-3) threw all eight innings and took the loss, giving up eight hits.

The Royals next play at Washington and Lee on Tuesday, with a single game starting at 4:00pm.