ODAC Baseball: Lynchburg advances to Semifinals, Roanoke eliminated

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Old Dominion Athletics Conference Tournament is in full swing, with the Best-of-3 series kicking things off. The Lynchburg Hornets earned the No. 2 seed and hosted No. 7 Washington & Lee.

In game one, the Hornets and Generals were neck-and-neck throughout the game. PJ Alvanos was one of the big bats for the Hornets, going 2-of-4, 3 RBIs. For the Generals, Mitchell Salvino went 3-of-5, 3 RBIs. It was a tie game 6-6- entering the bottom of the sixth inning. That’s when the Hornets scratched across three runs, then did the same in the bottom of the 8th on the way to a 12-8 victory.

In game two, the Hornets bats didn’t let up. PJ Alvanos was once again 2-of-4 at the plate, with 4 RBIs. Lynchburg defeated Washington & Lee 12-5. They advance to the ODAC Semifinals.

Their opponent will be No. 6 Bridgewater. This comes after the Eagles upset No. 3 Roanoke College on Saturday, 4-3 and 6-4.

In game one, Will Merriken was 3-of-4 at the plate while Tanner James allowed only 2 hits, 2 runs and had 5 strikeouts for the Maroons. But Collin Reid was 2-of-4 at the plate for the Eagles with 2 RBIs. The decisive run came in the top of the 8th inning when Jeffrey Snider scored on a passed ball for the 4-3 victory.

In game two, Will Smith gave the Maroons a 2-0 lead of a single into left field in the fifth inning. Eagles responded in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Kevin Navedo hit a grand slam to left field giving them a 4-2 lead. The Maroons tied it up in the top of seventh only to see pitcher Brett Tharp hit a decisive two-run home run to right field. Bridgewater won 6-4.


About the Author:

Eric is no stranger to the Roanoke Valley. He is a Roanoke native and proud graduate of William Fleming High School.