EARLHAM BASEBALL SPLITS

SALEM, Va. — The Earlham College baseball team began its spring trip to Virginia on Saturday as the Quakers split a doubleheader with Roanoke College.
The Quakers won the opener 4-1 before Roanoke took the second contest 10-3.
Earlham got off to a quick start in the first game when Sam Ward led off the contest with a single. He then proceeded to steal second and third. Ward eventually scored on a double by Alex Arovits.
Two innings later, the Maroons tied the affair in the third with a run.
Ward gave the Quakers a 2-1 advantage with a RBI single in the fifth.
Ryan Hayes widened the margin to 3-1 with a solo homer in the sixth. For Hayes, it was his third long ball of the season and 14th of his career. He passed Andrew Morrical (2008-11) for second on the Earlham all-time homer list (since 1974). Bobby Ebright (1996-97) is at the top of the list with 17.
A run-scoring triple by Ross Yoho in the eighth proved to be the final tally of the contest.
Ward and Yoho led the Quakers with two hits apiece.
Matt Brankle started on the mound for the Quakers to earn the victory. Brankle (1-2) worked seven innings and gave up a run on six hits with four strikeouts.
Zach Lee retired the Maroons in order in the eighth before T.J. Plummer picked up his second save of the season with a perfect ninth frame. Plummer became Earlham's all-time leader in saves with seven in his career as he passed Mark Thompson (1994-1997) and Jay Laurie (1984-1987), who have six each.
In the second game, the Quakers appeared to be on their way to a sweep as they grabbed a 3-0 lead in the third inning.
Ted Williams knocked in the first run with a single before Arovits capped the rally with a two-run triple.
Roanoke cut the deficit to 3-1 with a run in the fourth. In the bottom of the sixth, the Maroons scored nine times to put the game away.
Earlham starter Justin Broach tossed five innings as he surrendered two runs on four hits with four strikeouts. Colton Miller, Plummer and Garrett York worked in the sixth. Miller (0-1) took the loss.
The Quakers (4-8) and Maroons (7-11) finish their three-game series on Sunday with a single contest beginning at noon.