May 10, 2006

BOX SCORE

BOONE, N.C. -- Longwood University dropped a disappointing 8-6 collegiate baseball decision at Appalachian State University of the Southern Conference Wednesday afternoon in North Carolina. The Lancers (21-24) had a 6-3 lead before the Mountaineers (20-25-1) scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning for the come-from-behind win. Longwood will play its final home games this season with a pair of doubleheaders against Delaware State University at Lancer Stadium this weekend. The Lancers and Hornets will play Friday and Saturday, May 12-13, at 1 p.m. each day.

At Appalachian State, Longwood tied the game at 1-1 in the third inning when junior Ryan Rowe/Richmond (Varina) (2-3, 2 RBI) walked and later scored on a fielder’s choice from classmate Tyler Childress/Montclair (Forest Park) (0-5, RBI). The Lancers scored three runs in the fifth for a 4-2 advantage as Rowe opened the inning with a double and scored as junior captain Tyler Ames/Exmore (Northampton) (1-3, 2 RBI) followed with a two-run home run to right center field. An RBI single from redshirt sophomore captain Zach Zigrang/ Virginia Beach (Kempsville) (1-5, RBI) plated freshman Paul Heidler/Warrenton (Notre Dame Academy) (2-5) with the other run after Heidler had also singled.

Longwood increased its lead to 5-2 in the sixth inning as freshman Robbie Bailey/Mechanicsville (Hanover) (2-2) had a one-out single, stole second base, and later scored on an RBI single by Rowe. LU made it 6-3 in the eighth after Bailey’s one-out triple put him in position to score when he beat a throw to home on Rowe’s ground ball to shortstop.

Things came apart, however, in the bottom of the eighth inning as ASU loaded the bases with two outs before Ben Billingsley (2-4, 4 RBI) hit a decisive grand slam home run to complete the late rally. Billingsley also had a double, while David Rubinstein (3-5) led the Mountaineers with three hits, including a double as well.

Freshman Aaron Berg/Mechanicsville (Hanover) (1-1) took the mound loss with 2.0-plus innings of relief, allowing three hits and four earned runs with two strikeouts, though classmate John Walker II/Alexandria (West Potomac) actually yielded the grand slam. Yet another freshman, Kevin Light/Mechanicsville (Hanover), had started and went the first 5.2-plus innings, scattering seven hits and two earned runs with three strikeouts.

Josh Fish (2-0) took the pitching win for Appalachian State in relief with just two-thirds of an inning, allowing no hits with two strikeouts. Jonathan Reeder (1) earned the save with the final shutout inning with a strikeout.