MEMPHIS, Tenn. (April 23, 2022) - The Rhodes Lynx did not have the weekend they expected, but ended on a high note in a shootout thriller against the Hendrix Warriors on Sunday. Rhodes went 1-2 on the weekend, moving their overall record to 23-16-1 and 12-9 in conference play. 

Game One
Friday, April 22
Hendrix 11
Rhodes 8

The Lynx jumped out to an early lead in this one with a big second inning. Wood Kimbrough led off the frame with a solo dinger for the first run of the game. He was followed by Ben Wilson, who walked, and Will Heurtin who ripped a double to right. After a strikeout and walk loaded the bases, Malcolm Rohlfing was hit by a pitch to bring in Wilson. After a second out, Dante Messina came through with a single to left center that scored a pair to make it a 4-0 game. 

The game stayed that way until the top of the sixth when Hendrix was able to break through against starter Nick Ferazzi. Three singles, a double, a wild pitch and an error led to four runs for the Warriors and a tie ballgame. One inning later, the Warriors rallied again for four runs in the seventh. Three straight singles led to a pitching change for the Lynx, but it did not matter. A walk, sac fly, error and wild pitch brought in all of the runners who had reached earlier in the inning, making it 8-4. In the eighth, an RBI single and RBI groundout extended the lead to 10-4. Rhodes got two back in the eighth on a two-run single from Rohlfing. In the ninth, Peter York homered and Wilson addied an RBI single to make the final of 11-8. 

Game Two
Friday, April 22
Hendrix 6
Rhodes 2
7 Innings

Control issues on the mound led to an early deficit for the Lynx. In the top of the second, the Warriors leadoff man reached on an error and make it all the way to third. The next four batters would reach on a walk (and subsequent steal of second), a walk, a two-run single, a passed ball that moved two-runners up, and a walk. This led to a pitching change for Rhodes. An RBI groundout ensued, followed by another two-run single, giving Hendrix a 5-0 lead. The Lynx got one back in the bottom half thanks to a Ben Burkhart home run. 

The next run didn't come until the bottom of the fifth when a balk brought in Heurtin. Hendrix would get the run back in the top of the sixth on an RBI base hit. That would do it for the scoring as Rhodes could not get runners on base in the final two at bats to rally. 

Game Three
Saturday, April 23
Rhodes 18
Hendrix 16

The last home game of the season was one for the highlight tapes as the two teams combined for 34 runs on 34 hits. Rhodes managed to score in all eight of their at bats, while Hendrix scored at least three runs in an inning four separate times. 

With the score 4-1 in the second, Rohlfing and York delivered back-to-back RBI singles to make it 4-3. The Lynx then tied things up at four with a Heurtin sac fly in the third. After Hendrix established a new 5-4 lead in the fourth, Rhodes responded with two in the bottom half thanks to a two-run bomb from Rohlfing. 

Hendrix struck for four runs on three hits in the fifth. The Lynx did not do themselves any favors with two hit batsmen and a wild pitch that led to an extended inning. They were quick to bounce back on offense though, with a Gunnar Vachris RBI single and a Rohlfing RBI squeeze bunt to make it 9-8. The game would tie up at nine in the sixth when Ben Burkhart drove in Kimbrough on a groundout. 

John McNair helped the cause in the seventh with an RBI double that scored Rohlfing. During the next at bat, Messina scored on a wild pitch to give Rhodes an 11-9 lead. The lead was short-lived however, when Hendrix went double, throwing error, walk, double to score three runs and regain the lead at 12-11 in the eighth.  

The bottom of the eighth was wild. With one out, Burkhart doubled, and was brought in on a Vachris single. A second out ensued, and it looked like the Lynx might only be able to tie things up in the inning. A ridiculous two-out rally came next featuring a York single and subsequent three-run homer from Messina. McNair then restarted the rally with a single, followed by Kimbrough reaching on an error. Ben Wilson was next man up, and delivered a triple down the right field line to score both runners. Heurtin then added one more to the total with a base hit up the middle to score Wilson and make it 18-12. 

Things got real interesting in Hendrix' final at bat. The inning started off with a hit by pitch, walk, walk before a pitching change as made. The new Rhodes pitcher then walked in a run and gave up a single to make it 18-14. After another pitching change, the Warriors added two more on a single and a sac fly to make it 18-16. John Gibbs was able to get the last two hitters out with a strikeout and a groundout to end the madness. 

All nine starting hitters recorded both a hit and a run for Rhodes. Eight of nine starters also added an RBI. Messina and Vachris each had four hits, while Rohlfing drove in four. 

Rhodes claimed the #3 seed in the SAA tournament, and will play #6 Millsaps on Thursday on the campus of Berry College. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm eastern on April 28.