Box Score For immediate release – 3/22/2015 - #361
Big Fifth Inning Carries Hornets to 3-1 ODAC Win over Quakers
GREENSBORO, NC – The Lynchburg College baseball scored all three of its runs in the fifth inning to end a four-game losing skid, defeating Guilford College 3-1 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play Tuesday afternoon.
The game was a pitcher's duel in the early going as Lynchburg could get runners on, but not bring them home. This was most obvious in the fourth inning when LC loaded the bases with no outs and could not manage a score to cut into the Guilford 1-0 lead.
Jonathan Munn led off the frame with a single through the left side, following by singles from Joe Tomasulo and Austin Owens. That is when a critical defensive play by Guilford silenced Lynchburg's hopes of taking the lead. Luke Rodgers, making his first career start, laced a liner back to the pitcher who threw home for one out before going to third base for an unconventional double play. Darin Salter forced a fly out in the next at bat to end the threat.
The fifth inning was similar to the fourth as the Hornets loaded the bases with no outs on singles by
Ryan Katona and
Drew Taylor and a
Lincoln Evans walk, but Salter would not escape this jam.
Joe Rogers singled down the left-field line, scoring Katona and Taylor for a 2-1 lead. Following a sacrifice bunt, Tomasulo's ground out allowed Rogers to raise home for the final score.
The damage could have been much worse for Guilford as the Hornets had 15 hits on the afternoon, stranding 12 runners on base.
Martin Henderlite (1-1) was a huge reason those three runs held up for the victory as the senior allowed just the one run on seven hits while striking out 10 in seven innings of work. The 10 strikeouts are the most by a Hornet hurler this season.
Rogers and Katona had three hits each for LC while Rodgers had the lone extra base hit, going 2-for-4 with a double.
Kyle Humphrey and Josh Shepherd had two hits each for Guilford (6-15/2-9 ODAC) while Herc Ingels scored the Quakers only run.
Lynchburg (6-12/3-3) hosts Averett University (15-6) Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Hornets' annual game at Lynchburg City Stadium.
