LYNCHBURG, Va. - The Bridgewater Eagles completed a key conference midweek slate of games by sweeping Wednesday's doubleheader at Lynchburg College, giving the Eagles three ODAC victories in two days.
A day after holding on for a 4-3 win over Washington and Lee, the Eagles rallied in Game 1 of the Wednesday twinbill for an 8-7 win over the Hornets and then won the second game by a score of 11-8. With the sweep, the Eagles improved to 8-6 in the ODAC and 17-7-1 overall.
Bridgewater struck first in the opener on Kenner Berry's RBI-single in the top of the first, but the Hornets answered in the bottom of the inning on Joe Rogers RBI-double to tie the score at 1-1.
The Hornets scored three runs in the second to lead 4-1, but the Eagles got one of those runs back in the third. Hunter Hensley led off the frame with a single and scored on Austin Batten's double, cutting the Lynchburg lead to 4-2.
A run-scoring double by Ryan Katona in the fourth increased the Lynchburg edge to 5-2, but the Eagles scored runs in the fifth and sixth innings to make it a one-run game.
With one out in the fifth, Hensley doubled down the left-field line and Batten chased him home with a two-out single, making the score 5-3. The Eagles added another run in the sixth, courtesy of a walk and two errors, to pull within a run.
Bridgewater took its first lead of the game with two runs in the eighth. Berry walked with one out and moved to third on Brendan Howell's double. The Hornets intentionally walked Ryan Leake to load the bases, but the strategy backfired when Cavin Clyde delivered a two-run single up the middle to put the Eagles on top 6-5.
The Hornets fought back and regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the eighth off BC reliever Steven Woerner. KC Caldwell led off with a single and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Katona came through with another big hit, this one a single to center that scored Caldwell with the tying run. Drew Taylor followed with an infield single and pinch-hitter Joe Tomasulo was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Rogers then singled to the hole at short, scoring Katona to give the Hornets a 7-6 lead. With the bases still full, Jonathan Munn hit a grounder to second baseman Brandon Poole and his throw to the plate was in time to retire Taylor for the second out of the inning. Woerner recorded the third out when Luke Rodgers grounded out to Poole at second base.
Down by one, Derrik Walling walked to start the ninth and moved to second on Batten's sacrifice bunt. Darren Yoder greeted Hornets relief pitcher Colton Steber with a triple to rightcenter to tie the score at 7-7. The Eagles regained the lead, 8-7, on Berry's single up the middle.
Woerner made the lead stand up as he retired the Hornets in order in the bottom of the ninth, striking out two of the three batters he faced. to preserve the victory.
The Eagles carried the momentum into game two by putting up four runs in the top of the first inning. Lynchburg, however, quickly squelched the BC momentum with four runs in the bottom of the first to tie the score.
Walling walked to lead off the top of the first for the Eagles and took second on a groundout. A single by Yoder put runners at the corners and a base hit by Berry put the Eagles on the scoreboard. Brendan Howell plated Yoder with a single and Berry scored on a wild pitch to make the score 3-0. Howell scored on a single by Leake for a 4-0 Eagles lead.
Lynchburg roughed up freshman lefty Chad Lenz for four runs on five hits in the bottom of the inning to tie the score. Caldwell's two-run double was the big blow for the Hornets.
Following the shaky first inning, Lenz controlled the Hornets lineup over the next five innings. He allowed just two hits and no runs during that five-inning stretch and that allowed the Eagles to open up a 10-4 lead.
The Eagles regained the lead in the second with a pair of runs. With one out, Walling was hit by a pitch and he moved to second on Yoder's two-out single. Kenner Berry then singled to right field for one run batted in and Yoder scored all the way from first when the ball was misplayed in the outfield.
Walling knocked in a run with a two-out single in the third inning and two more runs in the fourth pushed the Eagles lead to 9-4. Yoder walked to lead off the fourth inning, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Berry, making the score 8-4. Berry scored on Clyde's single to right, putting the Eagles on top 9-4.
Bridgewater posted another run in the sixth when Berry scored on a wild pitch for a 10-4 Eagles lead.
The Eagles allowed the Hornets to make things close as three errors in the bottom of the seventh led to four runs, just one earned, as the once-comfortable lead dwindled to just two runs, 10-8.
Bridgewater manufactured a big insurance run in the top of the ninth. Poole led off the inning with a single and moved to second on Hensley's sacrifice bunt. Walling then singled to center, scoring Poole to make the score 11-8.
Woerner then made his second appearance of the day and retired the Hornets in order in the bottom of the ninth to record the save and finish off the Eagles sweep.
Lenz picked up the first win of his collegiate career and three relief pitchers - Kyle Jones, Jarrett Horton and Woerner - combined to allow just one hit and one earned run over the final three innings.
Bridgewater pounded out 25 hits in the two games. Berry had a huge day at the plate as he was 6-for-9 in the doubleheader with five RBIs.