ROCKY MOUNT, Va. – The Washington and Lee baseball team lost game one of a best-of-three series to the Roanoke Maroons on Saturday evening, 5-3.
The Generals (18-16) went scoreless over the first four frames, while the Maroons (26-15) struck first with a three-run second inning. Senior right fielder Jacob Bonzon opened the scoring with a single to center scoring Tucker Schiavoni. Roanoke finished the inning with just two hits but worked four walks in the frame and took advantage of two W&L errors. W&L limited the damage to three runs while leaving the bases loaded.
Roanoke loaded the bases once again in the third inning and scored once on a hit-by-pitch to stretch the lead to four. The Generals managed to escape the jam, once again leaving the bases stacked.
W&L made its presence on the scoreboard after a fifth-inning, two-out homer to left field by junior catcher
Jaden Keuhner (Aldie, Va./John Champe). Two innings later the Generals got back to business, scoring two in the frame. Senior left fielder
Zach Perkins (Vienna, Va./James Madison) opened the inning with a home run to right field. With two outs in the same stanza, junior first baseman
Drew Larsen (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run) and Keuhner went back-to-back on hits to bring W&L within one.
The Maroons added on an insurance run in the eighth following an RBI single by senior first baseman Owen Lawn, and they held the Generals scoreless in the eighth and ninth.
W&L ended with seven hits on the day split between five Generals. Keuhner and junior right fielder
Mason Satterfield (Vienna, Va./James Madison) both ended the day 2-for-3. Keuhner added two runs batted in on the day and scored once.
The Maroons notched three more hits than the Generals, ending with ten. Junior shortstop Jonny Wall, senior second baseman Conner Butler, and Bonzon all closed their days with two hits. Wall and Bonzon combined for three runs batted in. Roanoke combined for nine walks and left 14 runners on base.
Roanoke senior pitcher Will Turner earned the win for the Maroons after a seven-inning performance allowing three runs on five hits. Senior pitchers Aiden Kuhle and Alex Markus pitched the final two frames of the game, with a save to Markus. The Maroon pitching staff struck out nine and allowed zero walks.
Sophomore pitcher
John Benner (McLean, Va./St. Albans) (6-5) received the loss on the day after throwing the first two innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits. Sophomore pitcher
Jack Belbot (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) pitched a scoreless final 4.2 innings with four hits allowed and two strikeouts.
The Generals and Maroons will meet again on Sunday for Game 2 of the ODAC Opening Series starting at 12:00 pm at W.W. Naff Jr. Field. A decisive game three would then be played shortly after if the Generals tie the series in the opener.
