COLLEGE BASEBALL
Lynchburg captured its first NCAA Division III title, defeating Johns Hopkins 7-6 Thursday in a decisive Game 3 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jackson Harding’s three-run double in the fifth inning gave the Hornets (48-9) a lead that the Bluejays couldn’t overcome.
Hopkins went ahead 4-0 in the top of the first, but Lynchburg pulled even in the bottom of the second. Harding’s hit put the Hornets ahead 7-5.
Lynchburg won Game 1 but, earlier Thursday, lost 11-6 in Game 2.
The Hornets’ roster has nine players from Hampton Roads, though none played in the decisive game.
UVA’s Super Regional on as scheduled
Despite concerns about air quality, Virginia’s Super Regional game against Duke will be played as scheduled at noon Friday. Officials have been monitoring air quality in Charlottesville and will continue to do so throughout the weekend.
UVA coach Brian O’Connor said Nick Parker will start Game 1. He was effective last weekend in the regional against East Carolina.
LOCAL BASEBALL
Pilots drop to 0-5 with home defeat
The Peninsula Pilots’ early-season frustration continued Thursday night with a 2-1 loss to the Tri-City Chili Peppers at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton. The Pilots, historically one of the Coastal Plain League’s better franchises, fell to 0-5.
Both teams scored in the second inning. Tri-City (7-1) went ahead 1-0 when Krew Bouldin singled, his first of three hits, and scored on Alex Christie’s single.
The Pilots’ Hunter Cole, a Randolph-Macon standout from Granby High, singled to right to bring home Henry Garcia with the tying run.
The Chili Peppers went ahead in the ninth, handing reliever Olvis Genao a defeat. Bouldin doubled before pinch runner Michael Dolberry stole third base and scored on Henry Cooke’s sacrifice fly.
Pilots starter Trey Morgan struck out six in four innings, giving up one run. Todd Mozoki pitched one scoreless inning before Sam Rochard, a Warhill High alum, threw three shutout innings.
Mason Dunaway and Christopher Martinez each had two of the Pilots’ eight hits.
Tri-City used six pitchers. Marcus Van Alstine — Morgan’s VMI teammate — pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory, and Wyatt Stanley worked the ninth for the save. Those two struck out a pair apiece.
The Pilots will get a rematch Friday with the Chili Peppers at 7 p.m. at Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights.
COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL
ODU signs Dayton transfer
Old Dominion announced the signing of Dayton transfer R.J. Blakney, a 6-foot-6 guard from Baltimore.
Blakney played 85 games in three seasons with the Flyers. Last season, he was third on the team in blocked shots and fourth in steals, appearing in 30 games and starting 20. He scored a season-best 19 points against St. Joseph’s and 17 against Duquesne.
Blakney joined Tyrone Williams, Yamari Allette, Vasean Allette, Devin Ceaser and Daniel Pounds as new Monarchs for next season.
MORE COLLEGES
JMU tops ODU for year in Royal Rivalry
James Madison won the inaugural Royal Rivalry Challenge over Old Dominion with a score of 16.5to 7.5, JMU announced.
The trophy will be presented at JMU’s football home game against the Monarchs on Oct. 28.
GOLF
US team trails at Palmer Cup
Team International leads Team USA 6.5-5.5 after the first 12 matches of the Arnold Palmer Cup at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.
UVA’s Ben James and Amanda Sambach both lost their mixed fourball matches. James, teaming with Oregon’s Ashleigh Park, fell 4 and 3, while Sambach and North Carolina’s David Ford lost 4 and 3.
Rounds 2 and 3 are set for Friday.
COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD
HU runner earns All-America honor
Hampton sophomore Dugion Blackman earned second-team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas.
The Kingston, Jamaica, native placed 11th in the 800 meters at 1 minute, 48.65 seconds, his second-best time of the season. The Colonial Athletic Association champion was fourth in his heat, though he missed the cut for the final by about six-tenths of a second.
**Virginia’s Ethan Dabbs won silver in the javelin for the second consecutive season.
The four-time ACC champion’s best throw came on his fourth attempt of the competition: 260 feet, 1 inch. It was less than two feet short of winner Tzuriel Pedigo of LSU (261-9).
Also for UVA, Nate Mountain (8:38.31) and Derek Johnson (8:35.85) qualified for Friday’s final of the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Conor Murphy reached the 800-meter final (1:48.00).
**Virginia Tech senior Cole Beck clocked a school-record time of 9.97 in the 100-meter semifinals to earn a spot in the final.
CNU gains C2C track honors
Christopher Newport’s Alyssa Roach repeated as the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year, adding to the indoor honor she won for 2022-23.
CNU’s Adrianna DeSantis was the Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second season in a row, while the Captains’ Tyler Wingard repeated as the league’s top coach.
