Birmingham, Ala. -- University of Lynchburg baseball dropped its rematch with Birmingham Southern Sunday afternoon. 

The Hornets last took on the Panthers at the NCAA High Point Regional in May 2021. 

Zack Potts got the start on the mound. He pitched into the fifth inning and struck out five during his first outing of the season. He struck out the final batter he faced in the bottom of the fifth, but he left the mound with the Hornets trailing 5-1.

Lynchburg scored its first run in the top of the fourth when Carrson Atkins drove in Ryan Long with a single. Atkins went 2-3 on the day and walked twice. He also crossed home for a run in the sixth when Gavin Collins singled. 

With the Hornets trailing 9-2 in the eighth, Jackson Harding tacked on a third run with a base knock to right. Harding slashed five hits in Alabama with a double and triple. 

The Panthers added two more runs in the bottom half of the eighth to build a 12-3 lead. 

The Hornets got two base runners on in the ninth but could not score and dropped their first game of the season. 

Avery Neaves went 2-4 on the day and finished the weekend with a .429/.467/.643 slash line. 

The Hornets used seven pitchers in the loss. As a group, the staff fanned eight batters. 

Lynchburg (2-1) returns home on Wednesday, Feb. 23 for a matchup with Averett at 2 p.m.

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--LYN--