LaRoche, Haynes lead AU baseball team to 8-2 win over Emory & Henry

By Avery Jaynes | Sports writer

The Augusta University baseball team defeated Emory & Henry College 8-2 on Wednesday, March 6, although the game was cut short due to inclement weather.

Kyle LaRoche homered and J. Ben Haynes had two doubles for AU at Jaguar Field.

Samuel Davis got his second start of the season and was able to secure the win. The right-hander threw four innings, allowing three hits and only one run.

Wednesday’s game was called after seven innings due to heavy rain.

The Wasps (3-15) jumped to an early lead in the first inning on a solo homer by center fielder Tyler Bradley, but the Jags were able to get their bats going in the fourth and took a 4-1 lead. They added two more runs in both the fifth and seventh innings.

LaRoche hit a two-run homer to give the Jags the lead in the fourth. He finishing the game with a 2-for-3 afternoon and three RBI.

Haynes also had a stellar performance. He went 2 for 3 with three RBI.

“It was a wet and gloomy day, but I felt like we did a good job as a team of not thinking about that and just playing our brand of baseball,” said Haynes. “It’s the most important stretch of the season right now for us as we are in conference play. As a team, we’re focused on stacking good days and having sound practices because we know that will translate into wins.”

When asked about his performance, the Jaguar outfielder just said he wanted to help his team win.

“I’m just trying to stay prepared and produce in ways that help our team win,” said the sophomore from Cleveland (Ga.) who transferred to AU from North Georgia. “It was a good team win to build momentum going into a big conference series at Lander this weekend.”

The Jags sit at 11-9 overall and are currently tied for second in the PBC. They look to take a big series win on the road against sixth-place Lander this weekend in Greenwood, S.C. The opener is Friday, March 8, at 6 p.m. They two teams will play single games on Saturday and Sunday.

Contact Avery Jaynes at ajaynes@augusta.edu.

AU’s Parker Ingram (10) had a hit and two runs in the win over Emory & Henry. At the top of the page, Nolan Turn snags the ball as his teammates J. Ben Haynes (9) and Kyle Lodise watch on. (photos by Paula Toole, AU Athletics)