March 25, 2007

BOX SCORE

Tempe, Ariz.-- Longwood softball wrapped up the Diamond Devil Classic with a 3-2 loss to Illinois Sunday afternoon.  The Lancers (10-10) were unable to bring the equalizer across the plate when they were threatening in the seventh inning.  Longwood will return to action on Thursday, March 29 as they travel to Radford to take on the Highlanders in a 2 p.m. contest.
    
Longwood struck first in the top of the third inning as Caitlin Hooe/Richmond (Douglas Freeman) lead-off the inning with a homerun over the center field fence for the 1-0 lead.
    
The Fighting Illini answered in the fourth inning bringing two runs in to take a 2-1 lead.  Lana Armstrong recorded a homerun of her own to knot the game at one.  Molly Lawhead brought in Makenzie Smith on a single to right field to give Illinois the 2-1 lead.
    
The Lancers were able to tie the game in the top of the fifth on a long ball off the bat of Camille Ketsdever/Irvine, Calif. (Irvine) with two outs.  
    
After the Fighting Illini grabbed the lead in the bottom of the sixth the Lancers threatened in the top of the seventh loading the bases with one out.  Hooe singled to the second baseman and made her way to second on a wild pitch, putting a runner in scoring position with one down.  Ketsdever drew a walk and both runners moved up a base after the pitched passed the Illini catcher.  Ryan Washington/Bealeton (Liberty) loaded the bases after being hit by a pitch but Illinois got Longwood’s finally batter to line out into a double play ending the game.
    
Ashley Forsyth/Freehold, N.J. (Freehold) pitched the whole way, finishing with three runs on six hits while fanning two batters in six innings of work.