Demorest, Ga. -- The University of Lynchburg baseball team won and lost one game each on the final day of competition at the Piedmont Tournament, dropping a close one to Rhodes, 4-3, then defeating host Piedmont, 7-5, on Saturday at Loudermilk Field.

In Saturday's opener, the Hornets (2-1) battled closely against Rhodes (2-1) the entire outing. Lynchburg struck first in the opening inning as Quinn Madden drove in Brandon Garcia with a sacrifice fly. Rhodes tied the game in the fourth inning and then took a 2-1 lead on an unearned run following an error by the infield. Lynchburg answered in the fifth when Benton Jones doubled to bring home Gavin Angelillo, evening the score at 2-2.

Rhodes regained the lead later in the fifth on a solo home run by Trozzo and added another run in the sixth on a passed ball to go ahead 4-2. Lynchburg stayed within reach and pulled within one in the eighth inning when Madden hit a solo home run. Lynchburg totaled eight hits in the game, with Madden accounting for two RBI. On the mound, Mason McDowell provided 2.2 scoreless innings of relief to keep the game close, but Rhodes held on to secure the one-run win.

In the second game against Piedmont, Lynchburg rallied after falling behind early. Piedmont scored three runs in the first inning and added another in the second to take a 4-0 lead. Lynchburg responded in the third inning when Jones doubled to drive in Garcia, and Madden followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-2. The Hornets continued to chip away in the fifth, tying the game on a sacrifice fly from Jones and an RBI single by Jack Pokorak before taking the lead on Kyle Flora's RBI single.

Lynchburg added important insurance in the seventh inning as Madden connected on a two-run home run to push the advantage to 7-4. Piedmont answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh, but the Lynchburg bullpen held firm the rest of the way. Logan Tapman earned the win with six innings on the mound, allowing four runs while striking out eight. Colin McGuire closed out the game with 2.1 scoreless innings to earn the save. Offensively, Lynchburg finished with 15 hits, led by Madden's three-hit, three-RBI performance and Jones' three-hit, two-RBI showing.

The Hornets have a short turnaround before their home opener against Pfeiffer on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. on Fox Field.

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