For immediate release – 4/18/2015 - #424
Hornet Baseball Forces Deciding Game Sunday, Splits with No. 6/8 Shenandoah
WINCHESTER, VA – The Lynchburg College baseball team needed at least one win Saturday afternoon over No. 6/8 Shenandoah University to stay in the picture for one of the last spots in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament. The Hornets nearly pulled the upset in game one, a 3-2 loss, before keeping tourney hopes alive with an 8-6 game two victory.
Game one started out well for LC, despite a second-inning run by Shenandoah that put the hosts up 1-0.
Lynchburg took charge in the third inning when KC Caldwell doubled in front of a Ryan Katona bunt single. Drew Taylor was the first out of the frame, but it was quite productive as Caldwell raced home for the sacrifice fly. Following a single by Joe Tomasulo, Jonathan Munn singled home Katona for the 2-1 advantage.
Shenandoah tied it up in the fourth on a Nolan Overby sacrifice fly. That would be the last score until the ninth inning as the combo of Michael Scimanico and Phillip Morse shut down the Hornets the remainder of game one.
SU won the game in the bottom of the ninth when Billy Arens doubled down the right-field line to score Joe Coleman from first.
Brandon Miller (2-6) went the distance for LC in the game one upset bid. The senior allowed three runs (two earned) on 10 hits while walking three and striking out three.
Shenandoah struck first in game two with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning, but Lynchburg, understanding the importance of the contest, tied it in the fourth. Wil Parsons singled to left, moving to second on a wild pitch before KC Caldwell walked. Jay Kenyon, making the start in left field, singled home Parsons to cut the deficit to 2-1. Will Hylton tied the game by driving in Caldwell on his single to left. Lynchburg loaded the bases with an opportunity for more damage but Ryan Kinter came out of the bullpen to shut the door.
Shenandoah scored two more runs to go up 4-2, but Lynchburg would not be deterred, rallying for a four-run seventh to take a 6-4 lead. A pair of runs in the eighth on a Jonathan Munn two-RBI double put Lynchburg up four, forcing a deciding game on Sunday for the final ODAC tournament spot. Parsons, Kenyon and Hylton all had lone RBIs in the seventh-inning outburst.
Zack Engelmann (2-0) picked up his second win in as many starts, throwing eight innings of four-run ball, striking out six in 8 1/3 innings of work.
Lynchburg (14-20/9-10) hosts Washington and Lee University for a 10 a.m. Senior Day matinee. If the Hornets defeat the Generals, they will tie for the sixth and final spot in the ODAC tourney with EMU. The fate of the two schools would then come down to a five-point tiebreaker system.