YORK, PA – Randolph-Macon's Bryan Miltenberger hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth inning to lift the visiting Yellow Jackets to a dramatic 10-9 win over the York College Spartans on Thursday afternoon in York.

Randolph-Macon improves to a sterling 15-2 while the Spartans fall to 7-4 with the loss.

The Spartans got going early as they used a big two out uprising to get on the board. Stephen Miele (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) began the rally with a sharp single up the middle. Derek Pitzer (York, Pa./Dallastown) followed with a single to right. Sean Mohollen (Rose Valley, Pa./Strath Haven) plated the first run of the game with another hard hit ball up the middle as Miele scored the game's first run. Logan Countryman (Baltimore, Md./Loch Raven) then got a bad-hop single to right to score Pitzer. The inning ended when Mohollen got greedy as the junior tried to go to third on Countryman's hit.

After being shutdown in the first two innings, the Yellow Jackets finally got to Spartan starter Mark Breitenbach (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) in the top of the third. Cole Migliorini led off the frame with a ground ball that hugged the third base line. Mike Kroll hit a topper that just eluded third baseman Michael Moore (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs) and allowed Migliorini to advance to third. Blake Saathoff stroked a double to left, scoring Kroll, tying the game at two. A Spartan error loaded the bases before Nate Meiners banged into a double play to plate Kroll with Randolph-Macon's third run of the inning. The Yellow Jackets scored a fourth run when Travis Lodge stroked a double to deep left to score Mitchell Keeler who had singled in the previous at-bat.

York had a golden chance to get one back in the bottom of the third as Brad Wenzel (Blandon, Pa./Fleetwood Area) ripped a double high off the right field wall to lead off the inning. Randolph-Macon starter Mike Gallagher toughened up and struck out the next two Spartans before walking Mohollen. Gallagher then got his third strikeout of the inning to leave Wenzel at third and keep the Yellow Jacket lead at two.

Randolph-Macon went to the pen in the bottom of the fourth as Cullen Moore relieved Gallagher. Hitter Michael Moore promptly greeted pitcher Cullen Moore with a long blast to left, drawing the Spartans to 4-3 through the fourth.

The Spartans got something going in the bottom of the fifth as Wenzel stroked his second double of the game to lead off the frame. After Miele moved Wenzel to third with a ground out to the right side, Pitzer drilled a 2-1 pitch to deep left, allowing Wenzel to trot home with the Spartans' fourth run of the game. The Yellow Jackets went to the pen as junior right-hander Branon Kincaid was able to get a fly out and a ground out to get Randolph-Macon out of the jam.

The Yellow Jackets retook the lead in the top of the seventh as they put together two hits, a walk and a Spartan error to score a pair of runs to take a 6-4 lead. That advantage would be short lived as Wenzel singled to center to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Miele then ripped a line drive home run to deep left, tying the game at six. York would go on to load the bases with two outs. Head coach Mike Scappa called on freshman Christian Bilan (Lumberton, N.J./Camden Catholic) to pinch hit. The freshman laced a sharp single to right center, scoring a pair, giving York the 8-6 lead.

The Spartan lead wouldn't last long as Randolph-Macon recaptured the lead in the top of the eighth with a trio of runs. The big blow was a Meiners' two run single to center, which tied the game at eight. The Yellow Jackets took the lead on a Keeler RBI single to left on batter later.

The momentum quickly swung back into the favor of the Green and White as Pitzer blasted an absolute laser to deep left center for his third home run of the year. Pitzer's bomb came with two outs and tied the game at nine.

That set the stage for Miltenberger's game winning shot down the left field line. The Spartans loaded the bases in bottom of the ninth but reliever Christian Cok got a double play ground ball to extricate him from the jam.

Tanner Phillips was the sixth pitcher to toe the rubber for the Yellow Jackets and he picked up the win despite giving up Pitzer's game-tying home run. Cok earned the save as he loaded the bases with a hit, a walk and a hit batter before getting the twin killing to end the game. The save was his first of the season. Gallagher started for RMC and he allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and a walk.

Randy Frankenfield (Blue Bell, Pa./Wissahickon) suffered the loss out of the bullpen as he falls to 1-2. He allowed two runs on three hits with three walks and a strikeout. Breitenbach was solid in his first collegiate start for the Spartans.  He allowed six runs but just two earned, on 11 hits with two strikeouts and a walk.

Five different Yellow Jackets banged out a pair of hits for Randolph-Macon. Meiners was 2-for-5 with two RBI while Keeler was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored. Lodge was 2-for-4 with an RBI while Kroll was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. Migliorini ended the game 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored for the visitors.

The Spartans got a strong performance from their two through five hitters as Wenzel, Miele, Pitzer and Mohollen combined to go 10-for-19 with seven runs scored and five RBI. Wenzel was 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored. Miele was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored including his third home run of the year. Pitzer was 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored while Mohollen was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Moore added a pair of hits including his first collegiate home run.

The Spartans get right back on the field on Friday as they host Frostburg State University in a Capital Athletic Conference contest in York. First pitch from Jaquet Field is set for 4:00 pm.

Brad Wenzel photo courtesy of David Sinclair