Davenport, FL - The Northern Vermont University-Lyndon baseball team came up on the short end of the score in both of their games on Friday at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.  In their first game of the day, the Hornets ran into a hot hitting Bates College team and the result was a 14-2 loss.  Lyndon then couldn't get the timely hit in a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Grove City College.  The Hornets are now 0-3 on the season.  Game one was the season opener for Bates, while Grove City improved to 2-1 with their win.

Game 1 - Bates 14, NVU-Lyndon 2

Bates pounded out 17 hits against five different Hornet pitchers in cruising to the victory.  Drew Fallon led the hit parade with three hits and four runs batted in.  Bryan Gotti and John Nowak also had three hits and Tyler Attal delivered a three-run home run.  Ryder Thornton (Essex, VT) and TJ Santaw (Newport, VT) had two hits apiece for the Hornets.  Jordan Cane (Merrimac, MA) had an RBI.

Grant Iuliano went five innings to pick up the win for Bates.  He allowed one earned run and five hits while striking out five.  Jared Pantalony and Ian McAslan combined for three innings of scoreless relief.  Carlos Rodriguez (La Mirada, CA) started and took the loss for Lyndon.

Game 2 - Grove City 5, NVU-Lyndon 0

Grove City starter Nick Guidas and a pair of relievers combined to shut out the Hornets.  Lyndon was able to produce nine hits, but the Hornets were unable to get the timely hit to get on the scoreboard.  Guidas earned the win, while Hornet starter Dylan Crump (Falls Village, CT) took the loss.  Freshman reliever Joey Hanlon (Tampa, FL) was a bright spot for Lyndon, as he allowd no runs and no hits in 2.2 scoreless innings.

Wolverine Leadoff batter Jesse Clary had a pair of hits and scored twice.  The other eight hitters in the Grove City lineup all had one base hit, with Nico Rodriguez delivering a solo home run.  Thornton and Skyler Bushey (St. Albans, VT) had two hits apiece for Lyndon.

The Hornets will continue their Florida trip on Saturday when they play a doubleheader against Carthage College.  First pitch is scheduled for 11:30 am at the Chain of Links Park Stadium in Winter Haven, FL.