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Eastlake, Ohio -- University of Lynchburg baseball senior Nick Matfield twirled a gem and the Hornet offense scored six straight runs on its way to a 6-2 victory over Misericordia in a winners' bracket game at the NCAA 2024 Division III baseball championship at Classic Park on Saturday afternoon.
The win for the Hornets leaves them one win away from qualifying for a second straight Division III best-of-three championship series as they continue on a path to defend their 2023 trophy. The Cougars remain in the field as they next square off with top-ranked Endicott College (47-3) at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Lynchburg, in addition to having a game in-hand without a loss in Eastlake, also earned a day of rest. The Hornets will meet the winner of the Misericordia-Endicott clash on Monday, June 3 at 10 a.m. If Lynchburg were to win that game, it would advance to the final series. If the Hornets were to lose that outing, then a second game against their opponent would be played that day at 4:45 p.m. with the winner advancing to the final series.
While the Hornets offense has not been lacking in the first two games at Classic Park -- they have scored 13 runs against the nation's best competition -- Lynchburg's starting pitching has been outstanding, an all-important boost in multi-game series where bullpens can be easily taxed. Mattfield nearly followed up Wesley Arrington's third complete game of the postseason with one of his own against Misericordia. Mattfield allowed just three hits through the first eight innings before two singles and a two-run double forced him from the game with two down in the ninth. Colin McGuire relieved and got the final out on three pitches.
Mattfield improved to 8-2 following his 8 2/3 inning effort. He allowed two runs on six hits. He walked one batter, hit one, and fanned seven Cougars.
Connor Maryniak took the loss for Misericordia. He surrendered four runs on nine hits with one HBP and five strikeouts.
Centerfielder O'Kelly McWilliams IV and third baseman Gavin Collins led the Lynchburg offense with two hits each with McWilliams IV also driving in a run. Right fielder Quinn Madden drove in a pair, bringing his season total to 67 RBI, just two shy of Lynchburg and ODAC record of 69 RBI set by Avery Neaves in 2021.
Left fielder Joe Comins and third baseman Andrew Van Horn had two hits apiece for Misericordia.
Lynchburg got things rolling with three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Madden singled to center to bring home both second baseman Benton Jones and shortstop Brandon Garcia. Two batters later, first baseman Eric Hiett plated Madden with a single through the left side.
The Hornets tacked on one run each in the sixth, seventh, and eighth frames. Left fielder Eddie Gimbel singled through the right side to bring around Collins in the sixth. A balk forced in Jones in the seventh, and McWilliams sent one back up the middle in the eighth to score designated hitter Joe Munitz.
The Cougars got their two runs in the ninth inning on a double to left by pinch hitter Jeff Policarpio. Van Horn and Comins scored on that knock.
The Hornets are on a 12-game winning streak, matching their best string of Ws since 2021.
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--LYN--
