April 1, 2007

BOX SCORE

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University dropped a 16-8 baseball decision to visiting Long Island University Sunday at Lancer Stadium. The Lancers and Blackbirds split their four-game weekend series with the visitors winning the final two games after the hosts had won the opening two games. Longwood is now 23-11 overall, including a 20-7 record at home, and scheduled to play again on Wednesday, April 4, hosting Norfolk State University at Lancer Stadium in Farmville beginning at 2:30 p.m..

Longwood took an early 4-1 lead in the first inning as sophomore Paul Heidler II/Warrenton (Notre Dame Academy) (1-3, RBI) delivered an RBI double while classmate Jon Quigley/Annandale (W.T. Woodson) (1-5, RBI) and freshman Frank Berry II/Virginia Beach (First Colonial) (2-4, RBI) each contributed RBI singles. Heidler also scored unearned on a fielding error in the opening inning. The Lancers still led 4-3 through three innings before Long Island took control with a seven-run fourth inning before adding runs in the sixth (1), seventh (1), and eighth (4) innings as well.

In the decisive fourth inning, the Blackbirds scored seven runs on seven hits, though five runs were unearned after an error in the field. Getting key hits in the frame for LIU were James Jones (2-5, 2 RBI) with a two-run single, and Greg DeSantis (4-4, 4 RBI) with a two-run double as five runs scored with two outs. Long Island added four runs in the eighth on four hits and another error as well; this time the big hits from Dan Pirillo (1-1, RBI) and Danny Etkin (1-3, RBI) with an RBI double and an RBI triple, respectively.

Longwood added two runs in the sixth inning when freshman Scott Kimble/Spotsylvania (Spotsylvania) (1-4, RBI) drove-in a run with a one-out double and later scored on a two-out RBI single by sophomore Robbie Bailey/Mechanicsville (Hanover) (3-5, RBI). The Lancers scored runs in the eighth (1) and ninth (1) innings as well, scoring in the eighth on an RBI single from senior captain Tyler Ames/Exmore (Northampton) (1-5, RBI) and in the ninth on a pinch-hit RBI single by junior Brian Polgar/Strongsville (St. Ignatius) (1-1, RBI). In addition to Bailey’s three hits, senior Tyler Childress/Montclair (Forest Park) (3-5) also collected three hits among the 17-hit attack for LU.

Longwood sophomore right-handed pitcher John Walker II/Alexandria (West Potomac) (4-2) took the pitching loss with 2.2 innings of early relief, allowing nine hits and seven runs, two earned. Ironically, Walker had won the opening game of the series with 3.1 scoreless innings of late relief. Redshirt-junior right-handed pitcher Zach Zigrang/Virginia Beach (Kempsville) tossed the final 1.2 scoreless innings on the mound for the Lancers, yielding just one hit with two strikeouts and no walks.

Long Island left-handed starter James Jones (1-1) earned the pitching win with the first 7.0 innings-plus, allowing 12 hits and seven runs, four earned, with five strikeouts and no walks as well. The Blackbirds had 21 hits on the afternoon, led by DeSantis’ four hits, including the double in the fourth.