Lynchburg, Va. -- Lynchburg College's baseball team put an end to No. 20-ranked Methodist's nine-game win streak with a 12-8 non-conference victory Tuesday afternoon in the Hornets' 2018 debut on Fox Field.

Senior center fielder Brad Hylton (Danville, Va.) led the way for Lynchburg, clubbing a pair of doubles in a 3-for-4 day at that plate that saw him drive in five runs. Senior first baseman Matt Ward (Newton, N.C.) also had a three-hit day at the plate.

Lynchburg pitching didn't yield an earned run on the day, but fielding miscues allowed the Monarchs to get back in the game late. Freshman right-hander Michael Reiskind (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) earned the win on the mound with 3 ⅔ innings of shutout relief work.

THE RUNDOWN

Final: Lynchburg 12, No. 20 Methodist 8

Records: Lynchburg 5-2, Methodist 10-2

Venue: James C. Fox Field, Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, Va.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Lynchburg hitters jumped all over Monarch pitching in the first inning. Hylton started the scoring with a bases-loaded double down the left-field line that scored two. After chasing Methodist starter Noah Latta from the game, the Hornets added two more when senior catcher Matthew Cotton (Charlotte, N.C.) doubled to deep center field. An RBI fielder's choice off the bat of sophomore second baseman Colin Corey (Springfield, Va.) gave LC a 5-0 lead after first.

• The Monarchs cut the lead to 5-2 in the second, but Corey's RBI single in the third and Hylton's sacrifice fly an inning later gave the Hornets some more breathing room.

• Hylton seemingly broke the game open in the sixth, slashing another two-run double to center field, and Lynchburg scored two more in the frame to lead 11-2 after six.

• Methodist rallied to score in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, pushing four runs across thanks to several Lynchburg fielding miscues to threaten the outcome. Sophomore southpaw Nick Norman (Goochland, Va.) ended the scare with a pair of strikeouts to finish the game, a feat that earned him his second save of the season.

LOOKING AHEAD

Lynchburg will begin conference play this weekend with a home-and-home series against the Quakers of Guilford College. The Hornets will travel to GC's Greensboro, N.C., campus for a 1 p.m. game Saturday, March 3 before returning to Fox Field for a 1 p.m. Sunday matinee.

--LC--