University of Lynchburg

Tysons, Va. -- To kick off ODAC Championship weekend, the University of Lynchburg baseball team was outlasted in a 14-inning fight - the longest game of the season - against Bridgewater, 4-3, on Thursday afternoon at Capital One Park.

The intense game between the top-seeded Hornets (33-5-1) and the fourth-seeded Eagles (33-11) remained scoreless through the first five innings as both pitching staffs settled in early. Tyler Kaltreider delivered a strong start for Lynchburg, allowing just one run over seven innings while striking out five. Bridgewater broke through in the third inning on a solo home run by Bryce Suters, but Kaltreider and the Hornets defense limited further damage.

Lynchburg answered in the sixth inning. Brandon Garcia drew a walk and later scored when Kyle Flora reached after being hit by a pitch and a wild pitch allowed the tying run to cross. Later in the inning, Jack Pokorak singled and eventually scored on another wild pitch to give Lynchburg a 2-1 lead.

Bridgewater tied the game in the ninth with a two-run inning, but the Hornets responded immediately in the bottom half. Conner Moore came through with a pinch-hit double, and Parker Cato entered as a pinch runner. Cato later scored the tying run as Lynchburg forced extra innings at 3-3.

Both teams traded scoreless frames deep into the afternoon. Colin McGuire worked four innings in relief and struck out three, while Lucas Marrero and Trent Judd combined to keep Lynchburg within striking distance.

Bridgewater finally pushed across the go-ahead run in the 14th inning. Lynchburg put runners on base throughout the game but stranded 19 runners in the contest and was unable to find the equalizer in the bottom half.

The Hornets finished with 13 hits. Brandon Garcia, Jack Pokorak, Quinn Madden, and Sean Pokorak each recorded two hits, while Moore added the key pinch-hit double in the ninth. Jack Pokorak drove in Lynchburg's lone RBI of the afternoon.

Lynchburg is now in the second layer of the double-elimination bracket and will face the loser of second-seeded Shenandoah and third-seeded Randolph-Macon at 11 a.m. tomorrow morning at Capital One Park.

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.

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