The Eastern Mennonite University Diamond Royals returned to the Royals field for their home opener doubleheader on Saturday against the Ferrum Panthers. 

It was a pitching duel for the majority of  the first game. The Royals’ starting pitcher, Brendon Barrett, gave up two runs in the first frame, but settled in shortly after. He didn’t give up another run until the sixth inning. Barrett finished with pitching 6.2 innings, finishing with a new career high of eight strikeouts. 

The Ferrum starter, Will Davis, held the Royals’ bats down, pitching seven innings with six strikeouts. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Royals started to gain some momentum, scoring three runs. However, the comeback was cut short, and the Royals went down in game one 12-3. 

In game two, the Royals were hot early. The Royals got a leadoff double followed by a sacrifice fly by fourth-year Jaylon Lee to score first in the opening frame. The scoring continued throughout the game, with the Royals putting up eleven runs . 

The starting pitcher for the Royals, John Judy, pitched well for the Royals, throwing six innings and only giving up five hits with seven strikeouts. The Panthers had a final comeback and  put up five runs in the ninth. The Royals came out with the win 12-6.

Head Coach Adam Posey saw some positive things from his team in the two games. “We continued to battle through the adversity of the day. Conference days are long days for everyone, so it was good to see the guys bounce back after a tough game one and come out and play well to get the split,” said Posey. 

Coach Posey wants the team to take another step forward heading into another game week. “I just want to see us continue to play process-oriented baseball. We can continue to learn how to do the little things that add up to the victories on the field,” said Posey.

Lee is off to a hot start this season. He is returning from a season-ending knee injury that happened early last season. “It has felt good being back on the field with my teammates playing the game that I love. I was also able to learn a lot by sitting out last year, but I feel like a new player now that I’m not having any knee pain at all,” said Lee. 

Third-year pitcher Brendon Barrett is in his first season in a starter role and he is off to a hot start. He has started two games with a 1-1 record, a 1.50 ERA, and 15 strikeouts in 12  innings. “It has been a good feeling to get off to a good start. The team and myself have to continue to get better in practice to keep this going,” said Barrett.

The Royals have a midweek game against crosstown rival Bridgewater College before going on the road on Saturday to take on the Lynchburg Hornets. They hope to keep the momentum going.

Jordan Jones is an outfielder for the Men’s Baseball Team.