ROANOKE, Va. - The weather was nasty, the games were long and if you asked any player on the EMU roster, they'd tell you Saturday was a pretty good day. 

EMU split a doubleheader with Roanoke, winning game one 6-5 before falling in the night-er cap, 12-7. EMU finishes the regular season at 12-22, 7-13. 

Highlights – Game One

• The Royals threatened in the top of the first. After Jordan Jones walked to lead off the game, Jaylon Lee singled before Brett Lindsay's fly out moved Jones to third. But a 543 double play ended the frame to keep the Royals off the board. EMU looked to score in the second too as they loaded the bases but once again, the Maroons starter was able to work out of the jam and keep the game scoreless. Roanoke was able to get on the board in their half of the second with a solo homerun off Royals starter Hunter West.
• After another RC solo homerun in the third, EMU was able to cut the deficit in half in the top of the fourth. Robert Guenther led off with a single and moved to third on a single from Blake Sargent and an error on the left fielder. Ethan Spraker grounded out on a fielder's choice, scoring Guenther.
• Roanoke hit their third solo shot of the game but Lindsay answered with a solo homerun of his own in the top of the fifth, once again cutting the Maroons lead to one.
• After a lengthy rain delay of a little less than two hours, the Royals came back out swinging. Sargent led off the sixth with a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Spraker then doubled in a run, tying the game and moved to third on Logan Mason's sac bunt. Spraker was thrown out on a Jones fielder's choice but heads up baserunning from Jones put him at second. He advanced to third and scored on back-to-back wild pitches, giving the Royals a 4-3 lead. But Roanoke responded in their half of the seventh as a two-run shot over the left field fence off Adrian Abad gave the Maroons the lead back, 5-4, after seven.
• But as quick as the lead was snatched, the Royals took it right back in their half of the eighth. With one out, Spraker singled and stole second, putting a runner in scoring position. Mason's groundout put Spraker on third and Jones tied the game with his speed, beating out a single to the pitcher. Jones then took third on a two-base error on a pickoff attempt and came in to score on a wild pitch, giving EMU a 6-5 lead.
• Jon Sawyers picked up the save, working a scoreless eighth and ninth innings to pick up his first save of the season. Abad picked up the win, pitching 3.0 innings and giving up two earned runs while striking out four.
• At the plate, EMU was led by Spraker and Sargent, who had three hits apiece, and Lindsay and Lee, who had two. Spraker drove in a pair and Jones scored two runs.

Highlights – Game Two

• Much like game one, Roanoke got on the board first in game two, plating a pair in the first inning and one in the second off EMU starter Alec Riles. EMU put two runs on the board in their half of the third when Tricarico singled to left, scoring Mason and Lee, cutting Roanoke's lead to 3-2.
• Roanoke got those two runs back in the bottom of the third, using a sac fly and a single but Riles got out of a bases loaded jam with a strikeout to keep the damage at two runs. The Royals added a run in the fourth on another RBI from Spraker, but the Maroon bats stayed hot, tacking on three more in the bottom of the fourth to take an 8-3 lead.
• EMU took advantage of four Roanoke errors, scoring three runs and cutting the Maroons lead to 8-6. A solo shot from Lee in the top of the sixth pulled EMU to within a run, but Roanoke added four, two in the sixth and seventh each, to push their lead to five. The Royals picked up a single from Tricarico in the eighth but wouldn't add anymore, falling in the second game of the doubleheader. Riles took the loss for EMU, his third of the season. He pitched three innings, giving up five earned runs with a pair of strikeouts.
• At the plate, EMU was led by Tricarico, who finished with three hits, two RBI and a run. Lee had two hits, an RBI and scored twice.

What's Next

With the split, coupled with a Virginia Wesleyan split at Guilford, EMU has qualified for the 2022 ODAC Tournament. They will enter the tournament as the eight seed and will travel to top-seeded Lynchburg for a series starting next Saturday. Check back early next week for an updated schedule with dates and times.

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