LYNCHBURG, Va. - Hampden-Sydney scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and led the rest of the way to defeat Bridgewater College, 4-1, Saturday afternoon in ODAC tournament action at City Stadium. The loss eliminated Bridgewater from tournament play.

The Tigers put two runs on the board in the first against Eagles's starter Brady Cockerham. With one out, Moe Gothe grounded a single through the left side of the infield and Lee Carneal followed with a hard liner up the middle that hit Cockerham in the leg and bounced toward the left side of the infield for another base hit. After both runners advanced on a wild pitch, the Tigers got on the board when Gothe scored on John Lloyd's grounder to short. Tyler Blevins then followed with an opposite-field single to left, scoring Carneal to make it 2-0.

The Eagles answered with a run in the top of the second. Brendan Howell led off with a single before Hunter Hensley fouled out to third for the first out of the inning. Howell was then erased at second on a groundout by Ryan Leake. Parker Mead kept the inning alive with a single to center and Austin Batten followed with a hard liner through the box, scoring Leake to cut the Tigers' lead to 2-1.

Hampden-Sydney added a run in the fourth against Eagles relief pitcher Kyle Jones. Jacob Fontana walked to lead off the inning, but a strikeout and a groundout left the Tigers with a runner at first, Cody Smith, and two outs. Smith stole second and raced home on a single to left by Dustin Wiles that just got over the head of Eagles' third baseman Mead as the Tigers extended the lead to 3-1.

Bridgewater threatened in the fifth, but a web gem by Lloyd at second base ended the threat. With one out in the fifth, Cavin Clyde walked and the Tigers went to the bullpen, pulling starter Eric O'Brien in favor of Matt Hinson. Berry greeted Hinson with a hard grounder down the third base line. Fontana made a diving stop, but his throw to first was not in time, leaving the Eagles with runners at first and second and just one out. Chris King then lined a shot that seemed destined for a base hit, but Lloyd timed his leap perfectly to snag the liner and then flipped the ball to Carneal at second to complete a double play that ended the scoring threat.

The Tigers added their final run in the sixth. With one out, Jack Elliott doubled to right center. Smith struck out for the second out of the frame, but an infield error kept the inning alive. Elliott scored on a single by Brian Goodwyn, making the score 4-1.

Hampden-Sydney then gave the ball to Dylan Gonzales, a third-team All-ODAC selection, and the submarine-style righthander blanked the Eagles over the final three innings.

The Eagles threatened in the eighth when they had two runners in scoring position. With one out, Howell singled down the rightfield line. Pinch-hitter Brett Jones then kept the inning alive with a two-out single to left. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch, but Gonzalez struck out Mead to end the threat.

Hinson picked up the victory with 1.2 innings of shutout relief and Gonzales earned the save with three scoreless innings. Carneal led the Tigers offense with a 4-for-4 day at the plate and Wiles finished 2-for-3 with one run batted in.

Berry was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles to lead the Eagles offense while Mead and Howell each contributed a pair of hits. Howell, the Eagles' senior first baseman, capped off his career with a solid tournament performance, finishing with a 5-for-12 effort in the three games.

Bridgewater finished the 2016 season with a 22-19 record.