University of Lynchburg

Lynchburg, Va. -- To kick off the 2026 ODAC postseason, the University of Lynchburg baseball team took down conference rival Roanoke in eight innings, 16-6, in the first game of the best-of-three series in the ODAC quarterfinal round on Friday afternoon at Fox Field.

The No. 2/2 Hornets trailed the Maroons to start the contest, but quickly picked up steam and eventually finished it off before the ninth frame. Roanoke struck with a run in the opening inning, but Lynchburg responded immediately with a six-run bottom half.

Brandon Garcia reached to start the rally, and Benton Jones and Jack Pokorak followed with hits to bring in the tying run. Quinn Madden added an RBI single, and Joe Munitz's bunt single led to another run after an error. Sean Pokorak lifted a sacrifice fly, Eli Carroll added an RBI single, and another Roanoke error allowed the Hornets to surge ahead 6-1.

Roanoke answered with two runs in the second and added a solo home run in the fourth to cut the deficit to 7-4, but Lynchburg continued to build its lead. In the fourth inning, Carroll delivered a two-run single and Kyle Moshier added an RBI single to push the advantage to 10-4.

The Hornets broke the game open in the sixth. Kyle Flora doubled to set the table, and Carroll followed with a three-run home run to right field, extending the lead to 13-4. Roanoke added two runs in the eighth, but Lynchburg responded once more in the bottom half. Jones doubled in two runs, and Jack Pokorak added an RBI single to cap the scoring.

Lynchburg finished with 16 runs on 17 hits. Carroll led the offense with three hits, including a home run, and drove in six runs. Madden added three hits and an RBI, while Jones and Jack Pokorak each collected two hits and two RBI. Flora scored three times and added a double.

On the mound, Tyler Kaltreider earned the win, allowing four runs over 5.2 innings while striking out four. Trent Judd provided 1.2 innings of relief, and Colin McGuire recorded the final outs as Lynchburg secured the series-opening win.

The Hornets will have a day off before finishing the best-of-three quarterfinal round against the Maroons on Sunday, May 3, starting at noon.

Visit Lynchburg athletics' home online, LynchburgSports.com, anytime for up-to-date news on all Hornets sports and coverage from the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.

Sign up here to receive Lynchburg Sports news in your email inbox.

Give Lynchburg Athletics a like on Facebook, and follow Lynchburg Athletics on Instagram and X. Read Full Article