LYNCHBURG, Va. --- Nationally fifth-ranked University of Lynchburg weathered both inclement conditions and strong competition on the way to three wins in as many games to claim the Lynchburg Regional title of the Division III Baseball Championship.
The Hornets (41-7) advance to the Super Regional round of the national bracket for the third straight season. Lynchburg now squares off with -- and hosts -- a high-scoring Rowan University outfit. The 15th-ranked Profs (34-10) outscored their opponents, 54-13, in going 3-0 in the Alliance (Ohio) Regional. They scored 26 and 20 runs, respectively, over the final two games at the University of Mount Union.
Super regional play is set for Friday and Saturday, May 23-24. Game times are to be announced.
Lynchburg nearly did not get to play its first outing in the regional due to storms and heavy rains in the Hill City. First pitch at Liberty University's Worthington Field was not thrown until 11:15 p.m. ET on Friday evening.
The Hornets gave fans reason to cheer, holding on for a 7-6 win over Marymount University, which scored three runs in the top of the ninth to nearly force extra baseball. Bryce Demory drove in four runs featuring a no-doubt-about-it two-run blast to right-center. Logan Webster, MOP of the ODAC Tournament, continued his run of long-balls with a solo shot just two batters after Demory left the yard. Webster has homered four times this season, each coming over a six game stretch including three-in-a-row through Friday's game.
Lynchburg needed to play just once on Saturday as its 10-1 win over Emory University on James C. Fox Field -- its traditional home venue -- put the Hornets in the driver's seat for the regional crown. Logan Tapman was excellent in improving to 5-1 on the hill, allowing just one run while scattering seven hits without a walk and five punchouts over 7.0 innings. Demory again went deep, this time plating three teammates. Eric Hiett went 4-for-5 with three RBI, while Webster went 2-for-2 with three walks and a RBI. Sean Pokorak and Ryder Warren joined Webster in earning three free passes, accounting for nine of the 12 walks drawn by Hornets batters.
It was Hornets versus Eagles again on Sunday in the first of two possible showdowns for the regional trophy. Lynchburg scored four times in the first inning and withstood a five-run seventh frame by Emory to post a 6-5 victory to win the regional in the fewest amount of games possible.
Nick Mattfield improved to 8-0 with 6.1 innings of work. He gave up three runs on only two hits, but an uncharacteristic five walks were offset by five strikeouts. Colin McGuire put in 2.2 innings of scoreless relief and fanned four batters to earn his ninth save of the season. Hiett and Pokorak plated two runs each while Warren brought around one and Demory registered his eighth RBI of the three-game set.