Sean Guida hit a pair of home runs as Roanoke College, the sixth ranked team in the nation in Division III, knocked off Emory & Henry 9-3 in ODAC action on Tuesday. The Maroons have now won 13 games in a row and are undefeated in the month of March.
Roanoke wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Guida hit a solo home run on the second pitch of the game to put RC up 1-0. Eli Sumpter followed Guida with a single and he stole second base. Will Salva then walked to put runners on first and second. Jack Howard singled to score Sumpter, then Sam Watson plated Salva with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. Dean Hermanson’s two out single scored Howard to push the Maroon lead to 4-0.
With the score 4-2 in the Roanoke third inning, Robbie Edwards drew a leadoff walk. Watson and Hermanson were then each hit by a pitch to load the bases. Will Smith was walked with one out to bring home Edwards and extend the Roanoke advantage to 5-2.
In the fourth inning, Howard walked with one out then scored when Edwards doubled. Watson then singled Edwards home to make it a 7-2 game. Guida hit a two-out solo home run in the fifth inning to make the score 8-2 and RC tacked on its final run in the eighth inning when Salva singled home Guida to give RC a 9-3 lead.
Forrest Wagner (1-0) got the win for RC after going 2.1 innings in relief. Wagner allowed one run on two hits and struck out two.
On Monday the league announced that Salva has been named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Baseball Player of the Week. A freshman from Leesburg, VA, Will helped the Maroons to a 3-0 week that included a two-day, two-game sweep of fellow nationally ranked Shenandoah on the road. Salva went 7-for-13 over the three contests, smacking a double and a homer to go with six runs driven in, five runs scored, two walks, and a stolen base.
He was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in a 7-1 win at Greensboro. He went 1-for-4 with two runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base in an 8-5 victory in game one at Shenandoah. He followed up with a 4-for-5 day in a 14-3 triumph in game two. He belted a homer and drove in four runs while scoring four more. For the season, Salva is hitting .393 (22-for-56) with 13 RBI and 29 total bases.
The 13 straight wins have lifted RC to 17-3 overall and the Maroons are 8-0 in the ODAC. They’ll put that mark on the line Saturday in Farmville with a doubleheader against Hampden-Sydney, beginning at noon.
