University of Lynchburg

Lynchburg, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg baseball team took to the field in rainy weather against East Texas Baptist for the first game of the best of three series in the NCAA DIII Super Regionals and fell, 11-2, on Friday afternoon at Worthington Field.

The game remained scoreless through the first two innings before Lynchburg struck first in the third. Brandon Garcia singled to center field with two outs, and Benton Jones followed with an RBI double to right field to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead.

Tyler Kaltreider kept East Texas Baptist off the board through the first four innings despite multiple strikeouts and traffic on the bases, but the Tigers broke through in the fifth. After a pair of singles and a Lynchburg error loaded the bases, Carter Nannini delivered a three-run double to left center to give East Texas Baptist a 3-1 advantage.

Lynchburg answered in the sixth inning when Jack Pokorak launched a solo home run to center field, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Sean Pokorak later doubled and Kyle Flora worked a walk, but the Hornets were unable to bring home the tying run.

East Texas Baptist extended the lead in the seventh inning. Jobee Boone singled home a run before Brody Tewers added a two-run double to left field, pushing the advantage to 6-2. The Tigers added two more runs in the eighth on a two-run home run from Connor Massimini.

Lynchburg finished with seven hits and five walks. Garcia led the offense with two hits and a run scored, while Jones added a double and an RBI. Jack Pokorak recorded the Hornets' lone home run, and Sean Pokorak contributed a double.

On the mound, Kaltreider struck out 12 over 6.2 innings while allowing six runs, five earned. Trent Judd provided relief in the seventh, while Austin Riney and Davis Watson also appeared out of the bullpen as Lynchburg looked to extend the game late.

The Hornets will look to bounce back in game two tomorrow, Saturday, May 23 at 4 p.m. at Worthington Field.

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