Lynchburg, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg baseball team split with Shenandoah 7-4 and 3-2 on Saturday.
Lynchburg didn't score until the eighth inning in Game 1, but No. 22 Shenandoah had already put up six runs. Quinn Madden drove in Benton Jones on a groundout, Joe Munitz singled home Ethan Smith, and Riley O'Donovan doubled in two cutting the Shenandoah lead to 6-4. Shenandoah tacked on an insurance run in the ninth, Brandon Garcia led off the ninth with his third hit of the game, but the next three batters went down in order, snapping Lynchburg's four-game winning streak against Shenandoah that spanned the entirety of the 2023 postseason.
Wesley Arrington pitched six innings striking out four, and the Hornets turned a triple play in the seventh.
Lynchburg evened the season series in Game 2 thanks to some early run support for Nick Mattfield, 6 2/3 solid innings from Mattfield, and a save from Nathaniel Mack.
Ethan Marotske got the scoring started four Lynchburg in the second after making his fifth start. He reached on a fielder's choice and brought home Munitz. Jones doubled the lead in the same inning with a single driving home Marotske. Jones and Garcia both advanced 90 feet as Shenandoah unsuccessfully tried to cut down Marotske at home.
Mattfield navigated the Shenandoah lineup well pitching six scoreless innings allowing six hits and fanning two. Shenandoah got to Mattfield in the seventh, knocking him out of the game, but Mattfield still left with the lead thanks to Garcia's first career homer in the fifth.
Mack relieved Mattfield with two outs in the seventh and retired the side with a K. He only allowed two hits the rest of the way as he shut down Shenandoah to earn his second save of the year.
Lynchburg (22-13, 11-8 ODAC) plays its final home conference game on Tuesday, April 23 at 3 p.m. against Hampden-Sydney.
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--LYN--
