Baseball Battles At #6 Virginia Before Falling 4-3 To Ranked Cavaliers

Senior RHP Brian McCullough Pitches Eight Strong Innings Against #6 Cavaliers

March 28, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University dropped a heartbreaking 4-3 baseball road decision at #6 Virginia Wednesday as the nationally-ranked Cavaliers scored the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Lancers had led 3-0 into the fifth inning at Davenport Field in Charlottesville before UVA rallied late for the home win to improve to 24-5 while ranked #6 in this week’s USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll. Longwood is now 21-9 overall and will play again on Friday, March 30, hosting Long Island University at Lancer Stadium in Farmville at 6 p.m..

At Virginia, Longwood scored two runs in the second inning as sophomore Paul Heidler II/Warrenton (Notre Dame Academy) (1-4) reached on a one-out single and scored on an RBI double to right-center field by freshman Frank Berry II/Virginia Beach (First Colonial) (1-4, RBI). Berry later crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly to center field from classmate Scott Kimble/Spotsylvania (Spotsylvania) (1-3, RBI). The Lancers took a 3-0 lead in the third inning when sophomore Robbie Bailey/Mechanicsville (Hanover) (1-4) hit a one-out triple to right-center and scored on an RBI single from senior Tyler Childress/Montclair (Forest Park) (2-4, RBI). Unfortunately, Longwood did not score any more runs as the visitors stranded 11 runners on base, including both the sixth and ninth innings with the bases-loaded and only one out.

Virginia began climbing back with a run in the fifth as Patrick Wingfield (2-4) doubled down the left-field line to lead-off and scored with one out on a sacrifice bunt by Tim Henry (0-3, RBI). The Cavaliers scored again in the sixth inning when Sean Doolittle (1-3, RBI) homered to right field to open the frame. In the eighth inning, David Adams (2-4) reached on a one-out double to right field and later scored unearned after a throwing error on a failed pick-off attempt at first base. UVA pushed across the decisive run in the ninth after Tyler Cannon (1-3) drew a lead-off walk and scored with two outs on an RBI single by Brandon Marsh (1-5, RBI).

The outcome spoiled a solid pitching effort by Longwood senior right-handed pitcher Brian McCullough/Virginia Beach (Princess Anne). On the preseason Wallace Watch List, McCullough went the first 8.0 innings while scattering seven hits and three runs, two earned, with four strikeouts and one walk. Classmate Needham Jones III/Portsmouth (Woodrow Wilson) (3-2) entered to pitch the ninth and took the mound loss in relief with the final two-thirds of an inning, yielding one hit and one earned run with a walk.

Casey Lambert (1-1) earned the mound win for Virginia with the final two outs in the ninth inning, striking-out both batters faced as the Lancers had the bases-loaded with one out. The Cavaliers used six pitchers in the contest as Longwood out-hit the hosts 11-8. UVA now leads the overall series 9-2, including five-straight victories, with the last win by the Lancers coming back in 1984 (2-1).

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