Lynchburg, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg baseball team dropped their first NCAA Super Regional matchup at Bank of the James Stadium to the Rowan Profs, 7-4. 

After a scoreless first inning, the Profs scratched across the afternoon's first run in the top of the second. Rowan began the frame with back-to-back singles to put themselves in prime positioning. After the Hornets put one away, Karson Harcourt doubled to center field, allowing Brayden Davis to score the contest's first run. The Profs kept the momentum going with a Tyler Cannon single to right field, which advanced Harcourt to third and brought Eric Sabato home. Phil Sedalis capped off the frame with a sacrifice fly to put Rowan out in front 3-0. 

The offensive gameplay cooled down for the following three and a half innings, with a no-run defensive stalemate. However, the Profs stuck again back at the plate in the sixth. After two consecutive outs to begin the inning, Cannon tripled to right center. Immediately after, Sedalis drove in the fourth Rowan run of the day with a single to right field. 

Facing their largest deficit of the day, the Hornets responded in the bottom of the inning. A Maddox Tsutsui base knock and a Joe Munitz walk put runners on first and second with one out for Benton Jones. The junior second baseman cranked a double to right center and cleared the bases to cut the lead in half. Back-to-back singles from Sean Pokorak and Bryce Demory ultimately brought in Jones to make it a 4-3 ballgame by the end of the sixth frame. 

In the ensuing inning, the Rowan offense stayed quiet while Lynchburg found themselves right back in the mix. After Eric Hiett reached first to begin the inning, two consecutive fielders choice's put the senior first baseman in scoring position on third. Munitz notched an RBI single to bring in the game-tying run, 4-4 going into the eighth. 

After taking two straight punches from the Hornets in the sixth and seventh innings, the Profs hit the Hornets right back in the eighth to regain the advantage. A leadoff double by Joey Bogart followed by a fielder's choice placed the runner at third with one down. A sacrifice fly down the right side brought in Bogart to put the Profs back up by 1. 

After the Hornets went three up-three down in the bottom of the inning, Rowan added two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth to take a 7-4 lead. The Hornets put two on in the final frame but failed to turn them into runs. 

The Profs secure the win in the first game of the best-of-three series. Rowan notched 16 hits on the day, tying the most that Lynchburg has allowed all season.  The two squads will retake the diamond for game two tomorrow at Bank of the James Stadium at 11 a.m. 

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