February 20, 2007
BOX SCORE
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University took its first-ever victory over Old Dominion University in baseball, defeating the visiting Monarchs 6-4 Tuesday at Lancer Stadium in Farmville. The Lancers earned their fifth-straight win while improving their overall record to 7-2 this season. ODU dropped to 5-3 on the year. Longwood will play again this weekend, February 24-25, hosting Lafayette College for a three-game series. The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday (2/24) at noon, and a single game on Sunday (2/25) at 1 p.m..
Longwood had control from the first pitch against Old Dominion, taking leads of 1-0 in the first inning, 2-0 in the fourth inning, 3-2 in the sixth inning, 5-3 in the seventh inning, and 6-3 in the eighth inning. The Monarchs tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning, and at 3-3 in the seventh inning while adding a final run in the ninth inning. The Lancers out-hit ODU 14-11 en route to one of the biggest wins in the program’s 29-year history, and probably the biggest win since beginning the NCAA Division I Reclassification and DI Scheduling in 2005. Longwood had been 0-5 against the Monarchs in previous games.
In the first, senior captain Tyler Ames/Exmore (Northampton) (3-4) drew a lead-off walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from freshman Frank Berry II/Virginia Beach (First Colonial) (1-3, RBI), advanced to third on a wild pitch, and crossed the plate when the hosts executed a delayed double-steal attempt as sophomore Paul Heidler II/Warrenton (Notre Dame Academy) (0-3) was tagged-out on a run-down situation between first and second after he had walked as well. In the fourth, freshman Phil Cerreto/Midlothian (Midlothian) (2-4) singled to open the inning, advanced to second on another sacrifice bunt, this time by classmate Casey Havers/Thorofare, N.J. (West Deptford) (2-3), and scored on a one-out single to center field by senior Tyler Childress/Montclair (Forest Park) (2-4, RBI).
Old Dominion plated two runs in the sixth after Gerard Hall (3-4) led-off with a line-drive single off the chest of senior right-handed pitcher Alan Moore/Richmond (Monacan). Moore stayed in the game to face four more batters, allowing an RBI double to the next hitter, Mike Zahm (2-4, 2 RBI), and Zahm scored on a one-out single by David Burns (1-4, RBI) who was thrown-out at second by Heidler while trying to stretch the hit into a double.
In the sixth, Havers reached on a two-out single, and later came around to score on a pinch-hit single down the left-field line by redshirt freshman A.J. Karidis/Mechanicsville (Hanover) (1-1, RBI). In the seventh, Ames singled up the middle to lead-off, and scored on a one-out double to left field by sophomore Jon Quigley/Annandale (W.T. Woodson) (2-4, RBI) after Berry had advanced him with another sacrifice bunt. Quigley moved to third on a passed ball and crossed the plate on a wild pitch. In the eighth, Berry produced again, this time with a two-out RBI double down the left-field line to score former high school teammate and freshman Topher Ellis/Virginia Beach (First Colonial) (1-4) who had reached on a one-out single.
The Monarchs scored a run in the seventh after Anthony Shawler (1-4) doubled to lead-off and later scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Nick Erdman (0-2, RBI). The visitors added a run in the ninth when Erdman walked with one out and came across the plate on a fielder’s choice RBI from Zahm.
Senior right-handed pitcher Ryan Rowe/Richmond (Varina) (1-0) earned the mound win with 1.1 innings of middle relief, allowing four hits and one earned run. Berry made his collegiate pitching debut with the ninth inning of work, yielding an unearned run on no hits with a strikeout and two walks. Moore had pitched the first 5.2 strong innings, scattering seven hits and two earned runs with three strikeouts and two walks as well. Hunter Hall (0-1) took the loss in relief, allowing three hits and two runs, one earned, with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.
