HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, VA-After Virginia Wesleyan defeated Washington & Lee 7-4, and Hampden-Sydney falling 7-4 to Randolph-Macon, the Tigers stood one game out of the 2011 ODAC Tournament. As Washington & Lee held on for a 2-0 victory in the second game to put the Marlins at 9-9 in ODAC play, Hampden-Sydney rallied and overcame a four run deficit to win the regular season finale 12-8 over arch-rival Randolph-Macon in front of a raucous crowd to finish 9-9. With the regular season sweep over the Marlins, Hampden-Sydney held the tie breaker advantage and claimed the sixth seed in the upcoming ODAC Tournament.

In the first game of the day, Randolph-Macon took a 3-0 lead in the third inning that it would relinquish. Hampden-Sydney cut into the lead in the bottom of the third. Jordan Wind (Tappahannock, VA/Essex) led off with a double, and then Herbie Williams (Danville, VA/George Washington) batted him in with an RBI single. Williams then made it a 3-2 game when Justin Hebert (Richmond, VA/Hermitage) scored him with a sacrifice fly.

The Tigers then tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth when Wind batted in Beau Flinchum (Ashland, VA/Hanover).

The Yellow Jackets reclaimed the lead with one run in the seventh, but Hampden-Sydney again tied the game as Williams hit an RBI single to score Ryan Carter (Chester, VA/Thomas Dale) in the bottom of the eighth.

After a scoreless ninth, Randolph-Macon posted the three runs it needed in the tenth to take the win.

Things looked tough for the Tigers rolling into the second game, as Randolph-Macon jumped out to a 6-2 lead after two and a half innings. A solo homerun from Erick Herrmann (Glen Allen, VA/Deep Run) in the third cut it to 6-3, but the Jackets scored one more in the top of the fourth to go up 7-3.

Hampden-Sydney continued to hang on as Chris Martin (Chesterfield, VA/Manchester) scored a run in the bottom of the fourth on a Zach Harrelson (Danville, VA/George Washington) RBI.

Randolph-Macon countered once again with a run in the fifth to put its lead to 8-4.

In the bottom of the sixth, the bats came alive for the Tiger offense. With the possibility of their season being over in three innings, the Tigers scored four runs in the frame to tie the game at 8-8. Hebert, Herrmann and Flinchum all recorded RBI doubles, while Hunter Lewis (Newport News, VA/Menchville)batted in Flinchum's game-tying run.

With Kyle Grantier (Danville, VA/George Washington)holding the Yellow Jackets scoreless, Hampden-Sydney saw Martin bat in Williams, and Harrelson bat in Martin.

Holding the 10-8 lead, the Tigers were not finished. In the eighth, Martin batted in two more runs, scoring Lewis and Patrick Kuhns (Stafford, VA/North Stafford).

With the 12-8 win, Hampden-Sydney stands at 19-19 overall and 9-9 in ODAC play, and will continue its season Wednesday, April 20 at the Lynchburg City Stadium in the ODAC Tournament. Details are soon to come.  

In the first game, Williams, Harrelson and Flinchum all recorded three hits. In the second game, Hebert was a solid 4-for-6 with two RBI and a run while Martin was a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and three runs.

On the day, Harrelson recorded five hits and holds sole possession of the program's career hits record at 167.