DANVILLE, Va. – The EMU Baseball Royals tied a ribbon on their 2025 season on Saturday, making the trip to south to play two against ODAC foe Averett. It was an up-and-down day at the ballpark for EMU, falling 8-5 in game one before bouncing back quickly for 13-1 game two rout.
 
Alec Riles played a big role as starting pitcher in the game two victory, wrapping up his college baseball career by shutting out the Cougars in five innings of work on the mound. Plenty of Royals saw the field on the final day of the season, and 14 of them attained at least one hit at some point in the afternoon.
 
EMU wraps up 2025 with 13 wins, the most in a single season for the Royals since 2019.

Records: EMU 13-23, 7-15 ODAC | Guilford 21-13, 8-11 ODAC

Game One: Averett 8, EMU 5
WP: Cole McLain (5-3)
LP: Josh Gjormand (5-2)
Save: Cade Sabin (3)


Highlights

• After a quiet first two innings, the Cougars struck first to the tune of four runs in the third inning. Averett then tacked on two more runs in the fourth to jump out to a 6-0 lead.
• The Royals began to mount a comeback in the top of the fifth inning. Erik Wilkinson singled up the middle to bring home Nick Arnold for EMU's first run of the day.
• EMU exploded for four runs in the sixth innings. Dylan Hall began the rally by slapping a base hit to left center field to bring Dalton Rocke to home plate. Noah Sanderson sustained his strong finish to the season with a big 2-RBI double down the right field line to bring home both Hall and Jett Cabanban. Aidan Miller then smacked a single through the left side to plate Sanderson. This put EMU within one run, trailing Averett 6-5.
• The Cougars countered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth. The Royals could not stage another comeback, with both sides going scoreless in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to conclude the contest.

Statistical Leaders
Wilkinson: 3-for-4, RBI
Sanderson: 2-for-4, 2B, run, 2 RBIs
Miller: 2-for-5, RBI


Game Two: EMU 13, Averett 1 (7 innings)
WP: Alec Riles (1-3)
LP: Jake Braun (2-3)

Highlights

• Following a scoreless opening innings, the Royals assumed control of the game in the top of the second and never looked back. Chris Polymeropoulos scored on an Averett fielding error to put EMU up 1-0 through two.
• EMU expanded their cushion with three runs in the third. Hunter Sturgeon slapped a single through the right side to bring in Rocke. A few batters later, Jason Dwyer had a base hit of his own to send Polymeropoulos and Sturgeon running home. With that, EMU led Averett 4-0 through three runs.
• Trey Mitchell got on the scoring in the fourth, reaching home on a wild pitch to extend EMU's lead to 5-0.
• The Royals continued to take advantage of Averett mistakes in the fifth as Trevor Gjormand reached home via a Cougars wild pitch.  Later that inning, Jacob Dwyer touched home plate as Arnold grounded out to the shortstop. That made the score EMU 7, Averett 0 after five innings.
• Trevor Gjormand smacked an RBI single to left center field in the sixth, bringing home Brendan Hall and pushing the Royals to 8-0 lead.
• The Royals finished the job in the seventh inning, racking up and additional five runs. Rocke doubled to left field to bring Jack Hinton home. Josh Gjormand brought in two more runs with a base hit up the middle as Rocke and Ryan Harrison rounded the bases. Trevor Gjormand followed that up with his own base hit up the middle, allowing Brendan Hall to score again. EMU put the cherry on top with a Trevor Selph single to center field, affording Hady Bruno the opportunity to score and put EMU up 13-0.
• Averett could only muster one run in the bottom of the seventh, and EMU clinched the win via the ODAC's 10-run rule.

 
Statistical Leaders
T. Gjormand: 2-for-4, run, 3 RBIs
Sturgeon: 2-for-3, 2B, run, RBI
Jas. Dwyer: 2-for-2, 2 RBIs
Rile: 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Ks

What's Next
This concludes the 2025 season for the Diamond Royals. EMU will bring back plenty of experience in the field for 2026, along with some promising depth pieces and youth in the bullpen.