Box Score Cedar Rapids, Iowa - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team fell, 8-6, to Lynchburg University (Va.) in its first game at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III World Series early Saturday morning at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Eagles, ranked 13th on the D3baseball.com Top-25 Poll, drop to 36-12 on the season while the sixth-ranked Hornets improve to 44-7. 

UWL will face second-ranked Salisbury University (Md.) in an elimination game at 4:30 p.m. Saturday while Lynchburg (Va.) plays 19th-ranked East Texas Baptist University at 7:45 p.m. Saturday. East Texas Baptist earned a 7-3 victory over Salisbury (Md.) Friday night. 

In a game starting at 10:35 p.m. due to a rain delay in the East Texas Baptist and Salisbury (Md.) game, UWL and Lynchburg (Va.) were scoreless after the first inning. The Eagles had a pair of runners reach base in the top of the first after Jack Olver walked with one out and went to second on Mac Born's single. Lynchburg (Va.) starter Zach Potts retired the next two batters. 

In the first-ever meeting between the two teams, the Hornets took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Sean Pokorak singled to lead-off the inning and Eric Hiett was hit-by-pitch. Gavin Collins' single scored Pokorak with the game's first run. UWL starter Isaiah Katz picked off Collins for the first out of the inning, but Jackson Harding singled to knock in Hiett to make it 2-0. Holden Fiedler singled, but Katz got a strikeout and fly-out to end the inning. 

After stranding a pair of runners in the top of the third, UWL tied the game with two runs in the sixth. Olver led-off with a single and advanced to third on Born's double down the left field line. Anthony Vivian was hit-by-pitch to load the bases. Olver came in as Ty Hamilton reached on an error and sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 2-1. Born scored on George Seaman's double play to tie the contest at 2-2. 

Lynchburg (Va.) came right back in the bottom of the sixth scoring five runs on five hits and two UWL errors. All five runs came with two outs. Fiedler's infield single scored Hiett to give the Hornets a 3-2 lead. Carrison Atkins reached on an Eagles' throwing error with Harding scoring to make it 4-2. Brandon Garcia followed with an RBI single to knock in Fiedler and Benton Jones delivered a two-run double scoring Atkins and Garcia for a 7-2 advantage

The Hornets added to their lead in the bottom of the seventh after Pokorak scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-2. 

UWL scored a run in the eighth to cut it to 8-3. Olver walked to start the inning followed by singles from Born and Vivian to load the bases. Hamilton's sacrifice fly scored Olver, but the final two batters were retired to end the inning. 

The Eagles rallied in the top of the ninth. Pinch-hitter Logan Pye doubled to start the inning followed by a Jack Moran walk. Jordan Williams then hit a three-run home run off the left field fair pole to cut the deficit to 8-6. Born was hit-by-pitch with one out before Vivian and Hamilton were retired to end the game. 

Katz (7-1) suffered the loss, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing 11 hits, seven runs (three earned) and one walk with striking out seven. Tucker Bouche pitched 0.1 of an inning, recording a strikeout. Tyler Schmitt went 2.0 innings, allowing two hits and one unearned run.

UWL totaled 10 hits while stranding eight runners. Born went 4-for-4 with on run while Williams finished 2-for-5 with a three-run home run. Hamilton had two RBI while Olver scored twice. 

Potts (12-0) picked up the win for Lynchburg (Va.), going 7.0 innings, allowing six hits, two runs (one earned) and two walks with seven strikeouts. Jack Bachmore went 1.1 innings in relief, allowing four hits, four runs and two walks. Mason McDowell earned his first save of the season, going 0.2 of an inning with one strikeout.

The Hornets recorded 13 hits with Pokorak going 3-for-4 with two runs and Fiedler 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Jones, Collins and Garcia each had two hits.

UWL is in Pool B for the 2023 NCAA III Championships along with Lynchburg (Va.), Salisbury (Md.) and East Texas Baptist. Pool A consists of John Hopkins University (Md.), Misericordia University (Pa.), Endicott College (Mass.), and Baldwin Wallace College (Ohio).

Pool play follows a double-elimination format. The winners of each pool will play in a best-of-three championship series.

It is UWL's third appearance in the NCAA III World Series after making back-to-back trips in 2015 and 2016. UWL made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA III Championships in 2015 in Appleton, Wisconsin, advancing to the best-of-three championship series and a runner-up national finish. The Eagles finished 8-4 in the 2015 national tournament and 5-3 in 2016 while advancing to the championships in Appleton.