Hickory, N.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne Baseball Team (33-17, 12-12) closed out the regular season with a 5-4, come-from-behind victory over Anderson (19-30, 9-15) Sunday afternoon at Bears Field.

Lenoir-Rhyne senior designated hitter Will Thompson (Spartanburg, S.C.) hit the game-winning, run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Bears rallied from a three-run deficit for the second straight game to beat the Trojans.

Lenoir-Rhyne senior outfielder Chase Hathcock (Rockwell, N.C.) also hit a two-run single in the eighth inning as the Bears were able to overcome a 4-1 deficit.

Anderson's Kyle Bailey (Loganville, Ga.) finished with three hits and drove in two runs but the Trojans couldn't hold a three-run lead.  

Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore Tad Ratliff (Taylorsville, N.C.) (1-0) was credited with the win while senior Matthew De La Rosa (Austin, Texas) pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his second save of the year.

Lenoir-Rhyne senior second baseman Ryan Perkins (Woodruff, S.C.) had four hits and an RBI while freshman catcher Zack Shoemaker (Colfax, N.C.) added three hits and drove in a run as the Bears had 16 hits on the afternoon.

Anderson's Colby Tollison (Antreville, S.C.) fell to 0-2 on the year after being tagged with the loss. 

Lenoir-Rhyne will next compete in the 2016 South Atlantic Conference Baseball Championship which begins on Thursday, April 28, at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tenn.  The Bears are the eighth seed in the tournament and will play fifth-seeded Newberry in the opening round at 4:00 p.m.