For immediate release - 4/2/2011 - #314
Lynchburg Baseball Sweeps Roanoke

LYNCHBURG, VA – The Lynchburg College baseball team earned a sweep over Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) rival Roanoke College on Saturday in a doubleheader, winning 5-1 and 4-2.

Senior pitcher Matt Morgan (Bedford, VA/Liberty) pitched a complete game in the first matchup, giving up five hits, one run and striking out five. Junior Ragan Rudisill (Forest, VA/Jefferson Forest) led the Hornets with two RBI in the first game as well.

Roanoke took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning but Lynchburg answered back in the bottom of the frame with a run courtesy of a sacrifice bunt from senior Jordan Watkins (Freeland, MD/Hereford).

After a run in the sixth inning, Lynchburg added three more insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh frame. Sophomore Dan Savage (Ashburn, VA/Paul VI) singled in sophomore Michael Del Buono (Clifton, VA/Robinson) for the first run and Rudisill added a two-RBI single to put LC up 5-1.

Tyler Grouten got the start for the Maroons while Scott Thurston scored the lone run in the second inning.

In the second game, LC jumped to a 2-0 lead before Roanoke came back with two runs in the top of the third inning.  In the bottom of the third, Del Buono hit a sacrifice fly that scored junior Richard Palase (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) to give the Hornets the go-ahead run.

After both teams went scoreless for the next three and a half innings until Palase hit a sacrifice fly that scored Watkins for the 4-2 lead.

Freshman starter James Womack (Lynchburg, VA/Heritage) pitched eight and a third solid innings, striking out eight and yielding only six hits. With Roanoke threatening in the top of the ninth, junior Jared Millner (Forest, VA/Jefferson Forest) came in and earned his fifth save of the season.

Mark Manthe led Roanoke with two RBI in the second game while starter Michael Haslam earned the loss for Roanoke (9-18/1-11 ODAC).

Lynchburg (17-12/10-3 ODAC) hosts Hamden-Sydney on Tuesday at Fox Field at 3 pm.

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