The lead kept changing hands and the outcome was in doubt until the final out, but the Royals came up short in a 6-4 loss against No. 9 Shenandoah Wednesday afternoon at home. EMU's baseball men scored once in the bottom of the ninth, before leaving the bases loaded.

The game saw a wild conclusion after Eastern Mennonite took a 2-1 lead into the seventh.

The men nearly escaped a bases loaded jam in the top of the seventh, but John Wilt beat out the relay throw on a potential inning-ending double play ball, allowing a run to score. Rookie Zach Roberts (Stuarts Draft, Riverheads) erased that memory quickly, however, leading off the bottom of the frame with his first collegiate homerun to rebuild a 3-2 margin.

The Hornets tied it again in the eighth before breaking through in the ninth. Back-to-back leadoff hits sent reliever Kyle Johnson (Nathalie, Va./Rustburg) packing, and both runners touched home on a double from Jake Loew. SU added one more before a pair of outs prevented any more damage and left the bases full.

Roberts got EMU going in the bottom of the ninth with a leadoff walk. After Joe Hall (Gladys, Va./Rustburg) reached on an error, Griffin Stanley (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring) singled to load the bases with no one out against Shenandoah's star closer, Phil Morse. Kyle Salladay (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) singled to center to bring in Roberts, as the Royals notched the first earned run scored on Morse this year.

But with the tying runs in scoring position, and the winning run standing on first, EMU couldn't get a clutch hit. Back-to-back strikeouts made for two outs and fly ball to center ended it.

Earlier in the game, Salladay had an RBI single to tie it at 1-1 before Kyle Mathews (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) coaxed a bases loaded walk in the sixth for a 2-1 lead. Stanley scored both times.

Stanley finished with half of EMU's eight hits, going 4-5 with two runs scored. One spot behind him in the order, Salladay batted 3-5 with two RBIs. Roberts was 1-3 with a walk, scoring twice. Mathews drew two walks.

The Royals used eight pitchers on a planned staff day, and the tactic kept the Hornets off-balance despite allowing 13 hits. Jake Brown (Gloucester, Va./Gloucester) started and threw the longest, allowing just one hit in 2.0 frames. Johnson (0-1) took the loss for allowing two hits and eventually two runs while not recording an out in the ninth.

EMU, now 11-12 overall and 3-7 in the ODAC, will try to break a skid this weekend with a home doubleheader against Hampden-Sydney. Saturday's first pitch against the Tigers, who shut out No. 5 Randolph-Macon 3-0 on Wednesday, is at noon.