February 15, 2006

BOX SCORE

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University rallied for the game-winning run with two outs in the ninth inning Wednesday to defeat William and Mary 2-1 in collegiate baseball at Lancer Stadium in Farmville.  The Lancers (3-3) earned the win as junior Tyler Ames/Exmore (Northampton) (1-3) kept the hosts alive with a two-out single, and later crossed the plate on an RBI single from freshman Brandon Maupin/Woodbridge (Potomac) (1-1).  Longwood will play again Thursday, Feb. 16, at Liberty University of the Big South Conference in Lynchburg — a game re-scheduled from earlier this week on Tuesday due to unplayable field conditions at Liberty.

Against William and Mary (1-1), Longwood was down to its last out in the bottom of the ninth inning when Ames singled to keep hopes alive.  Freshman Travis Lydon/Westlake, Ohio (St. Edward) (1-4) followed Ames with another single with Ames advancing to third.  After a pitching change, junior Tyler Childress/Montclair (Forest Park) (0-0) pinch hit and was intentionally walked to load the bases.  That’s when Maupin came to the plate, also in a pinch-hitting role, and singled to drive Ames across the plate with the game-winning run and the exciting home victory.

The Tribe had taken a 1-0 lead in the sixth as Brent McWhorter (1-3) reached on an error and later scored on another fielding error in the inning.  The Lancers came right back in their half of the sixth as sophomore Nick von Gersdorff/Purcellville (Loudoun Valley) (1-4) led off the inning with a single and later scored on a ground-ball double play.  Sophomore Zach Zigrang/Virginia Beach (Kempsville) (2-4) had two hits for Longwood, while Jeff Lunardi (2-4) also collected two hits for William and Mary.

Longwood junior Brian McCullough/Virginia Beach (Princess Anne) had been locked into a pitching duel with William and Mary’s Michael LaFleur as LU’s McCullough went the first 7.0 innings on the mound while allowing just three hits and one unearned run with six strikeouts.  LaFleur went the opening 5.0-plus innings for the Tribe, yielding five hits and one earned run with four strikeouts.  Junior Brett Mangigian/Midlothian (Midlothian) (1-0) earned the pitching win with the final 2.0 shutout innings, allowing no hits with one strikeout.  Pete Vernon (0-1) took the mound loss in relief for the visitors with 3.0 innings, yielding two hits and one earned run with two strikeouts.