Teams: Baseball: Schedule & Results

JUMBOS LOSE OPENER AT LYNCHBURG COLLEGE, 13-9

COLLEGE BASEBALL FINAL SCORE
Lynchburg 13, Tufts 9

At Lynchburg, VA
Friday, March 14, 2008

Game Box Score

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Fueled by a five-run seventh inning, the Lynchburg College baseball team held on to defeat the Jumbos of Tufts University (MA) 13-9 Friday in non-conference play from Fox Field. The game was the 2008 season opener for Tufts.

The visitors jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first, as senior Steve Ragonese (Upper Saddle River, NJ) picked up where he left off last year by connecting for a two-run homer off the scoreboard in left-centerfield. The Hornets (13-4) battled back, scoring seven runs over the next three innings, punctuated by a four-run third inning. Tufts cut the lead to 8-4 in the top of the sixth, but the big inning in the bottom half of the seventh put LC up by nine. The Jumbos rallied for five runs in the last half-inning, but it was not enough.

Hornet sophomore Cameron Grant (Lynchburg, VA) was 3 for 4 with a three-run triple, scoring twice on the afternoon. Junior Kyle Bradley (Brookneal, VA) was 3 for 4 with two RBI, while Matt Winston (Roanoke, VA) and Ronnie LaBrie (Vinton, VA) each contributed two hits and three runs scored. LaBrie connected for his fourth homer of the season, a team-high, while sophomore David Gaines (Forest, VA) was 2 for 5 with three RBI.

Tufts was led by sophomore 2B Nate Bankoff (Lynnfield, MA), who finished 4 for 5 on the day. Freshman RF Ian Goldberg (Lake Forest, IL) was 3 for 5 with three RBI, while teammates Dave Katzman (North Andover, MA), Kevin Casey (Milford, MA), and Eric Catalanotti (Grafton, MA) all had multi-hit performances for TU.

The Jumbos, who have a long week ahead, take tomorrow off before playing at Averett on Sunday at 1:00. LC will now turn their attention to a pivotal conference doubleheader with Washington & Lee University Sunday afternoon at 1 pm on Fox Field.

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