Lyndonville, VT - Freshman John Mahoney (Navarre, FL) hit a walk-off home run leading off the bottom of the seventh inning to carry Northern Vermont University-Lyndon past Husson University in the nightcap of Tuesday's North Atlantic Conference baseball doubleheader. The 6-5 Hornet victory gave Lyndon a split on the day, as the Eagles had prevailed, 6-3, in the opener. The Hornets are now 5-16 on the season, while the Eagles are 8-12 overall. Tuesday's games were the first NAC contests for both teams.
Game 1 - Husson 6, NVU-Lyndon 3
After freshman left hander Carlos Rodriguez (La Mirada, CA) set the Eagles down in order in the top of the first inning, the Hornets got their bats going in the bottom half. Mahoney led off with a base hit and promptly stole second. He moved to third on TJ Santaw's (Newport, VT) ground out. After Skyler Bushey (St. Albans, VT) was hit by a pitch, Ryder Thornton (Essex, VT) doubled to center field, scoring Mahoney and giving the Hornets the early lead. Jordan Cane (Merrimac, MA) followed with another double, driving in Bushey and Thornton to make it 3-0, Lyndon after one.
Lyndon threatened again in the bottom of the second inning. Tyler Murro (Littleton, NH) led off with a base hit, then two batters later Mahoney singled off of Husson starter Alex Smith. Harrison Lendrum came in to relieve Smith and got Santaw to line into a double play to end the Hornet threat.
Husson broke through against Rodriguez in the top of the fourth inning. Jackson Curtis and Joshua Scott started the inning with back to back base hits. After Ethan Stoddard bunted the runners over, Tanner Evans delivered a two-run base hit back up the middle to make it a 3-2 ballgame.
The Eagles took the lead in the top of the fifth inning. Akira Warren beat out an infield hit to get things started. After Tyler Parke bunted Warren over, Kobe Rogerson beat out a bunt to put runners at the corners. Curtis followed with a double to score Warren and tie the game. After Scott was intentionally walked to load the bases, Jacob Wechselblatt (Reston, VA) relieved Rodriguez. Stoddard and Evans then reached on back to back Hornet errors, allowing two more Eagle runners to cross home plate and give Husson a 5-3 lead.
Husson added an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning. Warren beat out an infield hit leading off, then stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. He came home to score on Rogerson's base hit to left field.
Meanwhile, the Hornets were unable to get the bats going against Lendrum and the Hornet defense. Lendrum faced the minimum three batters in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth inning. Lyndon got the leadoff man on in the fourth, fifth, and sixth, but Dylan Wilson (Monroe, CT) was caught stealing in the fourth and Husson turned inning ending double plays in the fifth and sixth innings.
Ryan Robb came on for Husson in the bottom of the seventh inning and set the Hornets down in order to close the game and pick up the save. Lendrum earned the win with 4.2 innings of scoreless relief, while Rodriguez took the loss for Lyndon.
Game 2 - NVU-Lyndon 6, Husson 5
The Hornets again struck first in the nightcap. Santaw drew a one-out walk off of Husson starter Cam Graham in the bottom of the first inning. He moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third when Bushey lined out, then scored on another wild pitch.
Husson immediately responded in the top of the second inning. With one out, Stoddard drew a walk from Hornet starter Matt Page (Groton, VT). Evans was then hit by a pitch. James Lubanski's base hit to left scored Stoddard to tie the game. One out later, Warren singled to center to score Evans and Lubanski and give the Eagles a 3-1 lead.
Thornton led off the home half of the fourth inning with a double down the right field line. After Murro reached on a fielder's choice, Wilson hit a two-run blast over the right field wall to tie the game at 3-3.
After Page retired the Eagles in the top of the fifth inning, Mahoney led off the bottom half with a walk. Matt Wallingford then came in to relive Graham. After Santaw sacrificed Mahoney to second, Bushey lined a two-strike pitch over the right field wall to put Lyndon back in front, 5-3.
Dale Ostermann (Harrington, DE) relieved Page in the bottom of the sixth inning and kept Husson off the scoreboard. Wilson led off the Hornet sixth with a double off of the left field fence, but he was stranded there as the Hornets took their two-run lead into the final inning.
Nick Swift started the final frame by reaching on an error. After Warren filed out, Parke took an Ostermann pitch out of the park in right field to tie the game. Ostermann retired the next two hitters, setting the stage for Mahoney's heroics.
Robb came on to relieve Wallingford in the home half of the seventh. Mahoney blasted Robb's 1-0 pitch over the left field fence to give the Hornets the victory. Ostermann got the win in relief, while Robb got tagged with the loss.
The Hornets return to action when they host Middlebury College in a non-conference matchup. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 pm.
