Box Score Patrick Riebsame hit two home runs, including a three-run home run in the second inning that got the 26th-ranked Eagles on the board, leading Emory University to a 10-3 win over Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA and completing the sweep of the home-and-home series.
The Eagles combined a strong offense with solid pitching in the game, picking up 15 hits in the contest, while holding Covenant to just five hits. Emory improved to 12-0 this season in games where the team scores in double digits.
After a scoreless first inning for both teams, the Eagles broke through in the second with a big frame. Second baseman Kevin O'Connor started the inning with a base hit, and after left fielder Daniel Iturrey reached on an error by the Scots' second baseman, Riebsame struck with his team-leading fifth home run of the season, rocketing the ball over the left field wall to give Emory a 3-0 lead. The Eagles would send 11 batters to the plate in the second inning, adding on runs on an RBI double from shortstop Andrew DeYoung, and an RBI groundout from first baseman Ryan Jones to take a 5-0 lead.
The Eagles picked up another run in the third inning on a Jared Welch sacrifice fly, scoring Riebsame from third, and in the fifth on back-to-back doubles to start the frame from designated hitter Jonathan Reilly and DeYoung, extending the lead to 7-0. Riebsame's second home run of the game came in the sixth inning, a two-run shot with two outs, giving the Eagles a 9-2 lead at the time.
Covenant would score a run in the bottom of the sixth to pull with six of the Eagles, but Emory got the run back in the top of the eighth, when Reilly's two-out triple scored Iturrey.
Meanwhile, Emory starter Caleb Long put together another strong performance on the mound for the Eagles, holding the Scots scoreless through the first four innings, before allowing a pair of runs in the fifth inning. He would pitch into the sixth, ending the game with eight strikeouts and three runs allowed on three hits and four walks in five innings, earning the victory to improve to 6-0 in as many starts this season.
Junior Ryan Orlovsky pitched a scoreless sixth inning, and sophomore Mike Bitanga allowed just one hit over the final three frame close out the victory for Emory with his eighth save of the year.
Riebsame finished the game three-for-five with five RBIs and three runs scored. The two home runs matched a school single game record, marking the 25th time an Emory player has hit two home runs in a game. Riebsame became the fifth Eagle to hit two home runs in a game multiple times over a career, as the senior also belted a pair against Brandeis on March 9, 2010.
Riebsame also moved into a tie for 12th in school history with 11 career long balls, and his six home runs this season are the 14th most in a season in Emory history. He ended the game with a .349 batting average and a team best 34 RBIs in 2011.
DeYoung added a four-for-five performance for Emory with three doubles, also matching a school record, and raising his season batting average 64 points to .216. Reilly finished the game three-for-four and a home run shy of the cycle, while O'Connor added on three more hits for the Eagles.
The Eagles raised their record to 23-12 on the season with the win, while Covenant fell to 17-11 with the loss. Emory will look to extend its two-game winning streak next week, as the Eagles will play at their cross-town rivals, Oglethorpe University, on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
