University of Lynchburg

Tysons, Va. -- Jack Pokorak knocked a walk-off two-run homer to cap a two victory day and solidify a spot in the ODAC Championship matchup as the University of Lynchburg baseball team defeated Randolph-Macon, 9-5, and Bridgewater, 13-3, on Friday at Capital One Park.

The Hornets bounced back after dropping to Bridgewater on Thursday to begin the ODAC Final Four with two emphatic come-from-behind victories, effectively advancing to their fourth straight conference championship outing. Lynchburg took down the Yellow-Jackets on the back of seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings, then ran up seven runs in the fifth inning against the Eagles before Pokorak finished it off.

In the opener against Randolph-Macon, the Hornets battled back after trailing 2-1 through the first four innings. Quinn Madden and Joe Munitz opened the second with back-to-back singles, and Kyle Flora drove in Madden with an RBI single to tie the game. Randolph-Macon regained the lead in the third, but Lynchburg answered in the fourth when Joe Munitz scored on a fielding error after Eli Carroll reached base.

The Hornets broke the game open in the fifth inning. Benton Jones singled and Jack Pokorak followed with a hit before Madden loaded the bases with a single. Munitz drove in the go-ahead run with a groundout, and Sean Pokorak launched a three-run home run to left field to give Lynchburg a 6-2 advantage.

Randolph-Macon answered with a three-run homer in the sixth to trim the deficit to one, but Lynchburg responded immediately. Brandon Garcia doubled and later scored, while Munitz added a two-run single to extend the lead to 9-5.

Munitz led the offense with three hits and three RBI, while Sean Pokorak drove in three runs with his home run. Madden collected two hits and scored twice. Nick Mattfield earned the win, and Austin Riney closed out the final 3.2 innings to earn the save.

Lynchburg carried that momentum into the evening matchup with Bridgewater. After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, Quinn Madden tied the game with a solo home run in the second before Benton Jones put the Hornets ahead with a three-run homer in the third.

The Hornets erupted for seven runs in the fifth inning to pull away. Madden delivered an RBI single, Joe Munitz drove in two runs on a fielder's choice, Sean Pokorak added a two-run single, and Eli Carroll and Kyle Moshier each drove in runs as Lynchburg built an 11-2 lead.

Jack Pokorak capped the scoring in the eighth with a two-run home run to left field. Jones finished with three RBI, while Madden scored twice and drove in two runs. Sean Pokorak added two hits and two RBI. Logan Tapman earned the win after allowing three runs over seven innings while striking out five, and Davis Watson struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning to secure the victory.

The ODAC Final is now set to be a battle of the Hornets as Lynchburg will square off against Shenandoah on Saturday, May 9 at 1 p.m. With the final series set as a double-elimination tournament, the Lynchburg Hornets will have to win twice against SU to claim the title, while the Shenandoah Hornets need just one win with a maximum of two tries.

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