WINCHESTER, Va. – Fifth-seeded Hampden-Sydney forced a game three in its ODAC Baseball Tournament quarterfinal round series with Shenandoah University by downing the Hornets, 4-3, Friday night at Bridgeforth Field.
 
Playing as the home team in game two, the Tigers (18-13) scored an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk-off versus SU (27-9) and force a winner-take-all game three on Sunday.

IN DEPTH

Shenandoah had won game one, 14-0, earlier Friday and was looking to complete its third straight ODAC Tournament first round sweep of H-SC with a game two victory.
 
The Hornets struck first in game two, scoring a run on two hits in the second, but ended up leaving seven men on base over the final seven innings to put the Tigers in position to take the victory.
 
Trailing 2-1 after H-SC used a pair of Shenandoah errors in the fourth to score two runs, the Hornets took a 3-2 lead as Colby Martin laced a bases loaded double to center in the eighth.
 
That hit chased H-SC starter Justin Woodall, and the Tigers immediately reloaded the bases by issuing an intentional walk to Keegan Woolford.
 
That move paid off as Tigers reliever Ryan Portes got a flyout to short center followed by two strikeouts to keep the game close.
 
In the bottom of the frame, H-SC loaded the bases off of reliever Kyle Lisa, and then scored the tying run when Martin, who came on to pitch with the bases loaded and one out, hit the second batter he faced.
 
The Hornets went in order in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for H-SC to win it in the bottom of the inning.
 
Martin (0-2) took the loss after allowing one unearned run on one hit in one inning of work. He struck out two and had three of the squad's seven hits.
 
Portes (1-0) pitched two innings, walked one and struck out two to earn the victory.

NOTABLE

The 8:45 p.m. game two start time is the latest start time that Shenandoah has experience since starting at 10:45 p.m. versus Wheaton (Mass.) on May 19, 2017. That game ended at 12:56 a.m. with tonight's game concluding at 12:05 a.m.

UP NEXT

These two teams will take a break Saturday for Hampden-Sydney's graduation and be back at it on Sunday at Bridgeforth Field in a 2 p.m. game three.
 
###