Hampden-Sydney, Va. -- University of Lynchburg baseball freshman Eric Hiett drove in the go-ahead run during a 5-4 win over Hampden-Sydney Tuesday afternoon.
Hiett went 2-4 batting second in the No. 5-ranked Hornets lineup. He recorded three RBI, walked, and scored a run as well.
Jack Bachmore made the start and pitched four innings. He received run support in the first two frames as PJ Alvanos and Hiett singled in runs.
However, the junior lefty allowed three runners to cross home in the third and left the game the next inning. He fanned two batters during the outing.
The Lynchburg bats went cold for five innings after a hot start. Holden Fiedler recorded the only hit as the Hornets went quietly in innings three through seven. Travis Shumate prescribed the Hampden-Sydney batters to a similar fate. He only allowed one hit without walking anyone over three innings to preserve Lynchburg's one-run deficit.
Alvanos ignited a patterned Lynchburg rally late in the game. The senior from Annapolis, Md. led off the eighth with a single. Gavin Collins followed Alvanos up with a base knock, and Josh Gjormand earned bunt single. With the bases juiced and no one down, Fiedler tied the game up, 3-3, with an RBI groundout. Logan Webster reloaded the bases with a walk.
Already with one RBI under his belt, Hiett fired a single up the middle and brought home two runs. The freshman from Woodbridge, Va. is batting .556 on the season in nine at-bats.
Grayson Thurman took over on the mound with a 5-3 lead and took care of the rest. He retired the side in the bottom of the inning with one K, and tallied three strikeouts in the ninth to seal the deal. While Thurman did allow his first homer 123 innings into his career, he also recorded his 15th-career save and seventh save of the season.
The Hornets (18-4, 8-0 ODAC) are back home Wednesday, Mar. 30 for a 3 p.m. first pitch against Pfieffer.
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--LYN--