Salisbury, Md. -- The University of Lynchburg softball team earned a 5-1 victory over No. 2 Salisbury on Thursday.
The Hornets begin the season 9-0 for the first time since 2008 when the squad advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships. In 2018, Lynchburg rattled off eight consecutive wins before falling to Salisbury at the same point on the schedule.
Kailey Dorcsis pitched seven complete innings to tally her fifth win this season. Lynchburg's ace held Salisbury to one unearned run and six hits, maintaining her ERA at 0.46 to begin the 2024 campaign.
After a scoreless first inning, Lynchburg leaped into the lead with a Madison Barnes RBI double down the left-field line. Barnes scored Karleigh Hackett who reached on a Salisbury fielding error. The damage was not complete, however, as Lexi Powell hit an RBI single into center field to extend the two-out rally.
Lynchburg continued throwing blows in the top of the third with a trio of RBI singles. Alyssa Talyumptewa, Barnes, and Powell each earned RBI with baserunners moving station to station. Barnes and Powell both tallied two RBIs on two hits.
The Hornets evaded trouble in the fourth with a fielder's choice putout at third to prevent Salisbury from loading the bases. In the sixth, Dorcsis earned her third strikeout seconds before catcher Carly Hudnall threw a laser down the first-base line to snag the lingering base runner for a double play.
Salisbury's lone run failed to shift momentum as the Hornets cruised to the 5-1 victory. Despite the Seagulls' leadoff hitter reaching in the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings, Lynchburg slammed the door shut with stellar work from the infield.
Dorcsis earned three punchouts and forced Salisbury to strand nine runners on base. Salisbury failed to record a multi-hit inning in the team's first loss of the season.
Lynchburg earns its first victory versus a ranked opponent of the year after earning three in the 2023 season.
Game 2 commenced approximately thirty minutes after Game 1's conclusion, but the lack of daylight suspended activities prematurely at Knight Stadium. Lynchburg trailed 6-5 with the bases loaded in its hitting half of the inning when officials postponed the game; the matchup is expected to resume on Saturday morning.
The Hornets (9-0) resume action from the SU Tournament with a double-header against TCNJ on Friday, March 15 beginning at noon. Game 2 will begin approximately thirty minutes after the conclusion of Game 1.
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