The Hampden-Sydney College baseball team opened (ODAC) Old Dominion Athletic Conference play Saturday afternoon, splitting a double-header at Emory & Henry. The Wasps took the first game 8-4 while the Tiger offense exploded in game two for a 17-6 win. The Tigers now stand at 9-5 overall while Emory & Henry stands at 4-11.

Hampden-Sydney scored the first run of game one when Cody Smith (Bristol/Virginia HS) batted in Brian Goodwyn (Chester/Thomas Dale) with a double, but the Wasps knocked in four in the bottom half of the inning and they never trailed again.

Smith scored in the sixth on a Reggie Johnson (Dunnsville/Essex) RBI-single, but Emory & Henry scored in the next three innings to take an 8-2 lead.

Johnson and Jack Elliott (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) each scored in the top of the ninth with Tyler Blevins (Draper/Pulaski) collecting an RBI.

On the mound, Johnson was the pitcher of decision, allowing six runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts in seven innings.

Trey Celata (Chesapeake/Atlantic Shores Christian) allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning.

At the plate, the Tigers tallied 10 hits to Emory & Henry’s 12. Johnson and Austin Stephan (Virginia Beach/Ocean Lakes) led the way with three hits each.

The Tigers came out a different team offensively in game two, scoring their first run in the third inning, another in the fourth, and knocking in at least two in every inning after.

Smith and Goodwyn again started the scoring with Goodwyn crossing the plate in the third as Smith reached on an error.

Moe Gothe (Chester/Thomas Dale) batted in Stephan in the fourth, and Smith, Stephan, Elliott, and Blevins all scored in the fifth with Blevins, Gothe, and Jayson Maitland (Colonial Heights/Colonial Heights) all driving in those runs.

Stephan and Jacob Fontana (Midlothian/Clover Hill) then batted in Smith and Johnson in the sixth to give Hampden-Sydney an 8-0 lead.

The Wasps then made the game interesting in the bottom half of the inning, scoring six to make it a two run game.

The Tigers got some breathing room in the seventh, however, with Smith laying down a two-RBI bunt, and Johnson homering for two more runs to take a 12-6 lead.

Johnson struck again in the eighth with a bases clearing double to up the lead to 15-6.

Before it was over, Gothe collected two more RBI with a double.

On the mound, Teddy West (Lanexa/Warhill) got the win, going 5.2 innings while allowing four hits on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Matthew Metheny (New Kent/New Kent) allowed two runs on two hits, while Dylan Gonzales (Richmond/J.R. Tucker) and Zach Perkins (Appomattox/Appomattox) pitched 2.1 and 1.0 shutout innings, respectively.

The Tigers recorded 17 hits with Gothe going 4-for-5 with four RBI and two runs. Smith and Johnson each recorded three hits with a combined seven RBI and six runs.

The Tigers will host Muhlenburg on Friday at 2 p.m.