HARRISONBURG, Va. – On a beautiful Tuesday afternoon for baseball, the EMU Baseball team took to their home field for a mid-week ODAC matchup with Shenandoah. It turned to be a day of triumph for the Diamond Royals, using a combination of prolific hitting, clutch fielding, and a great pitching duet by Hayden Winston and Josh Gjormand to pick up a big 13-3 win over the Hornets in eight innings.
 
With the victory, the Royals not only avenged an earlier loss to the Hornets this season, but they also snapped an 11-game losing streak in the rivalry. Prior to Tuesday, EMU last defeated Shenandoah on April 17, 2019, an 8-5 victory at home.

Records: EMU 11-21, 6-14 ODAC | Shenandoah 23-13, 13-7 ODAC

WP: Josh Gjormand (5-1)
LP:  Nick Bell (1-2)

Highlights

• It was the visiting Hornets who struck first with two runs on an RBI double by Brody Pickette take a very early 2-0 lead.
• However, the Royals roared back in a hurry with four runs in the bottom of the first. Erik Wilkinson got EMU going with a base hit to right center. Aidan Miller hustled all the way from second to score. Then, Dalton Rocke make a big statement, smashing a three-run home run over the left field fence. Rocke's fifth home run of the season put EMU up 4-2 after one inning.
• The Royals tacked on another run in the second thanks to a Daniel McGinnis single to left field, allowing Noah Sanderson to touch home plate to make the score 5-2 in favor of the Royals.
• Following a scoreless third inning, the Royals struck again with two runs in the fourth. Nick Arnold and Miller both hit their way onto the basepaths and then took advantage of a pair of Shenandoah wild pitches to reach home, putting EMU up 7-2.
• The guests from Shenandoah got a run back in the fifth as Pickette slapped a base hit to right field to get the Hornets within four at 7-3.
• The Royals resumed their offensive onslaught in the sixth inning by collecting two more runs. Miller smacked a base hit to right field, bringing in Sanderson. A few batters later, Rocke grounded out to third base, but Arnold reached home in the process. With that, the score became EMU 9, Shenandoah 3.
• EMU finished the job in the eighth inning. McGinnis blasted a base hit to center field to bring home Miller, followed by a Rocke single to left field to plate Wilkinson. McGinnis then touched home himself after taking advantage of a Shenandoah throwing error. Finally, Trevor Selph hit a sac fly to left field, allowing Rocke to tag up and score to put EMU up 13-3. That invoked the ODAC's 10-run rule, ending the game right then and there.

Statistical Leaders
Rocke: 2-for-5, HR, 2 runs, 5 RBIs
McGinnis: 3-for-4, 2B, 2 runs, 2 RBIs
Miller: 4-for-5, 2B, 3 runs, RBI
J. Gjormand: 3.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 Ks

What's Next
EMU Baseball will be right back at Royals Field tomorrow, Wednesday, April 23, to host Christopher Newport in a non-conference affair. First pitch against the Captains is set for 4 p.m.