Cleveland, Ohio -- The University of Lynchburg baseball team defeated Case Western Reserve 5-0 on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament behind a winning-pitching performance from Nick Mattfield and pinch-hit home run from Sean Pokorak.
The Hornets will play the winner of Case Western Reserve and Alvernia on Sunday, May 19 at 11 a.m. in the regional championship.
The Hornets took the field in the top of the first inning as the designated home team even though they were playing on Case Western Reserve's home field, Nobby's Ballpark. Regardless of who was batting first, both teams were presented opportunities to set the tone early in that first inning.
Mattfield walked the first batter but bounced back with a strikeout. Eddie Gimbel, playing left field for the Hornets, made the next big play as he dove for a sharp liner in front of him to make the second out. However, CWRU forced the bases loaded and looked poised to deliver the game's first memorable moment, but it was Mattfield who left his indelible mark as he got his second K of the frame to end the threat.
With the first three outs featuring a lot of excitement, Lynchburg's first trip to the plate didn't disappoint either. Benton Jones singled with one out to get Lynchburg started. With Riley O'Donovan at the plate, Jones broke for second and turned for third after the pitch escaped to the backstop. CWRU's catcher collected the ball and tried to nab Jones advancing to third but threw the ball into left field, allowing Jones to score the first run of the game easily.
Jones' run proved to be the difference in the game leading to Mattfield's sixth win of the year. The senior pitched 6 1/3 innings with five Ks and six hits. With more than just Gimbel's nice first-inning catch on the day, Mattfield had some stellar defensive play behind him to get him into the seventh unscathed.
"It gets me more excited," Mattfield said about his defensive teammates. "I think when it's a close game it fires me up a little more."
Mattfield seemed composed, however, as he pitched to Dane Camphausen with two outs and runner on third in the top of the fifth protecting a one-run lead. Mattfield had just survived some hard contact when Gimbel tracked a ball down near the fence in the gap. He went down 3-0 to CWRU's 6-8 right-handed hitter who boasts 13 homer on the year, and it seemed all too certain Mattfield would walk Camphausen with first base open. But Mattfield attacked and eventually worked the count full before getting Camphausen to ground out.
Mattfield must have been even more fired up when he watched Pokorak hit a two-run homer in the bottom half of the sixth to put the Hornets up 4-0, but originally, it was supposed to be Gimbel's turn at bat. O'Donovan, the catcher, was lifted for a pinch runner, Conner Moore, in the same inning, so Pokorak was in the bullpen getting warmed up with his gear on, ready to enter as the new backstop. However, the sophomore got into the game just a little earlier than he expected.
"It was kind of funny," Pokorak said. "I was going in to play defense, and they told me to grab a bat."
So Pokorak had to rush to get his gear off and make the extended walk to the plate in from the bullpen behind Lynchburg's dugout. He even received some slight jeers from the opposition's cheering section, but he silenced anyone who was rushing his process when he scalded a ball over the wal down tghe left-field line.
Austin Riney relieved Mattfield during the seventh and got an out before turning it over to Colin McGuire. Pitching with the game-tying run on deck, McGuire escaped a bases-loaded jam and went on to close the game for his fourth save of the year.
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--LYN--
