Kissimmee, FL - Following an off day, the Northern Vermont University-Lyndon baseball team returned to the diamond at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Friday.  They began the day by taking on Hanover College for the second time this week.  The Panthers downed the Hornets again today, coming away with a 6-2 victory.  Later in the day the Hornets completed a game versus Alma College that was suspended on Wednesday due to rain.  The Hornets ended up on the wrong side of a 13-4 final score, leaving them with a 1-5 record on the season.  Hanover improved to 3-2 with their win, and Alma evened their record at 3-3.

Hanover 6, NVU-Lyndon 2

The Panthers scored the first run of the game in the top of the fourth.  Ty Stover led off the inning by doubling off of Hornet starter Matt Page (Groton, VT).  Stover moved to third on a passed ball, then scored on Mark Walkenhorst's single through the right side of the infield.  That was the only run allowed by Page, who worked 5.1 innings before being relieved by Codi Smith (Hartford, VT).  Page scattered seven hits and struck out six.  Meanwhile, the Hornets weren't able to get anything going against Hanover starter Justin Pope, who faced the minimum 18 batters through six innings and only allowed one hit over that span, a Tucker Root (Middlefield, CT) fifth inning single.

Hanover broke things open with a five run eighth inning.  The Panthers sent ten batters to the plate, with the big blow a bases loaded double from Josh Meszaros.

The Hornets finally got to Pope in the bottom of the eighth.  Jason Doris (Lincoln, RI) reached on an error to open the inning, and Ryder Thornton (Essex, VT) followed with a single to right.  Pope struck out the next two batters, but back to back base hits from Caleb Laroche (Franklin, VT) and Chris April (Rollinsford, NH) drove in two runs and chased Pope.  Sam Crick relieved Pope and got Zak Johnson (East Hampton, CT) to fly out to center to end the threat.  In the ninth Crick only allowed a Smith single, as Hanover came away with the win.

Pope picked up the win, allowing no earned runs and four hits while striking out seven.  Page took the loss for the Hornets.

Alma 13, NVU-Lyndon 4 (completion of a game suspended on 2/27/19)

The game resumed with no outs and Lyndon batting in the top of the fifth inning and Alma leading 12-3.  Doris singled home Johnson, who had laced an RBI triple right before the skies opened up on Wednesday.  That was all the Hornets could muster however, as Alma's nine-run fourth inning was the catalyst of the Scots' 13-4 win.

Ty Sobczak, the second of four pitchers for Alma, picked up the win, while Hornet starter Cameron Flinn (Barre, VT) took the loss.

The Hornets will square off against Anna Maria College in a Saturday doubleheader.  first pitch for game one is set for 2:00 pm.