HARRISONBURG, Va. –  After several cancelations and postponements brought about by Mother Nature, the EMU Baseball team had its home opener on Saturday afternoon, hosting Westminster (PA) for a doubleheader. The Diamond Royals split the twin bill with the visiting Titans, falling in a low-scoring game one before opening up a late lead and maintaining it for a game two win.

Records: EMU 3-3 | Westminster 1-1

Game One: Westminster 2, EMU 1
WP: Josh Reed (1-0)
LP: Carter Cashin (0-1)
S: Ty Carrier (1)

Highlights

• The two starters traded scoreless frames through the first five innings. Cashin only let up three hits across through the fifth inning.
• The Royals finally broke the stalemate in the bottom of the sixth. Jett Cabanban hit a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Aidan Miller to tag up and score. That put EMU up 1-0 through six innings.
• However, the visiting Titans answered with two runs in the top of the seventh, bringing in base runners on back-to-back extra base hits, a double and a triple.
• EMU got runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings but could not push a run across to fall one run short of the Titans.

Statistical Leaders
Daniel McGinnis: 2-for-3
Cabanban: 0-for-3, RBI
Cashin: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 Ks


Game Two: EMU 7, Westminster 4
WP: Ryan Gimbel (1-0)
LP: Tyler Staub (0-1)
S: Eli Monroe (1)

Highlights

• The Titans lit up the scoreboard first in game two with a sac fly in the top of the first, but the Diamond Royals countered with when Dalton Rocke reached home on a throwing error by Westminster's catcher. That knotted things up at 1-1 through one.
• EMU edged out front in the bottom of the second when Noah Sanderson scored on an RBI groundout from Dylan Hall.
• The two teams traded a run each in the third. Westminster pushed a run across on a fielder's choice. For EMU, Michael Duncan smacked a base hit to left field to bring in Miller. That made the score EMU 3, Westminster 2.
• Following empty fourth and fifth innings both ways, the Titans tied up the game at three in the sixth on an RBI double.
• But then the Royals roared back with a three-run bottom of the seventh. McGinnis successfully stole third base and then reached home on an error by the Titans to put EMU back up by one. The big highlight of the frame came off of the bat of Trevor Selph, who belted a two-RBI double to right center field, allowing both Erik Wilkinson and Duncan to touch home. Just like that, the Royals were doubling up the Titans, 6-3.
• Westminster got one run back in the top of the eighth when Braeden Zeigler hammered the only home run of the doubleheader beyond the left field fence. However, EMU answered right back with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame. Miller sent a sac fly out to right field, opening the door for pinch runner Brandon Willis to tag up and touch home. Going to the ninth, the Royals led 7-4.
• Eli Monroe came in to pitch the ninth, sitting down the side to shut the door on the Titans and salvage a split of the doubleheader.

 
Statistical Leaders
McGinnis: 4-for-5, 1 R
Selph: 2-for-4, 2 RBIs
Duncan: 2-for-5, 1 R, RBI
Miller: 2-for-3, 1 R, RBI
Monroe: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 K

What's Next
The Diamond Royals will head east to Fredericksburg to take on Mary Washington on Tuesday, Feb. 24. First pitch versus the Eagles is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.