April 20, 2008
Game One
Game Two
FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood University softball team (27-16) had reason to celebrate on Sunday afternoon as it honored its senior class by sweeping two games from Howard (13-15). The Lancers knocked off the Bison 6-4 in game one, with senior Rachel Mills/Quinton (New Kent County) picking up her 13th win of the season. Freshman Briana Wells/Romoland, Calif. (Paloma Valley) helped propel the Lancers to a 10-2 victory in the second game after striking out five batters and hitting 1-3 on the day, including her first homerun of her career. Longwood returns to action on April 24 in a doubleheader at Radford with the first pitch taking place at 5 p.m.
Offensively both teams were evenly matched in game one, with Longwood edging out Howard in hits 7-6, while the Bison committed three errors to the Lancers one.
Senior Caitlin Hooe/Richmond (Douglas Freeman) would start the scoring in the bottom of the first after leading off the inning with a walk. An error by Brianne Gutierrez would allow Hooe to come around after fellow senior Ryan Washington/Bealeton (Liberty) hit a line up the middle of the field catching the Howard shortstop off guard. Another Howard error would score sophomore Cami Ketsdever/Irvine, Calif. (Irvine) from third base, giving the Lancers an early 2-0 advantage.
The Bison would not be discouraged, fighting their way back into the game in the top of the second, earning one run back off a solo homerun by Kristina Cordova. Howard would increase its lead in the top of the fourth, scoring three more runs on one hit. Mya Spencer earned the lone hit of the inning, doubling to left center, scoring Gutierrez and Cordova. Spencer would come around to score after advancing to third and home of back-to-back passed balls.
It did not take long for the Lancers to take control of the game, holding the Bison scoreless through the last three innings, while piling on four runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth.
Freshman Maggie Margadonna/Sea Girt, N.J. (Wall Township) scored the Lancers first run in the bottom of the fifth, hitting her first homerun of the season over the wall in dead center. The homerun is Margadonna’s first of her career. Hooe and Washington would come around to score the other two Lancer runs of the inning.
Longwood would seal the deal in the bottom of the sixth, when freshman catcher Michelle Phillips/Powhatan (Powhatan) scored on a fielders choice. Mills picked up the complete game victory after facing 29 batters, striking out eight. The win gives Mills 59 career victories in the Lancer white and blue.
Howard took an early 1-0 lead in game two, with Gutierrez coming around to score in the top of the first on a double by Cordova. The Lancers would rally back in the bottom of the second scoring an astonishing six runs on six hits.
Wells helped her own cause and put the Lancers on-top 2-1 in the bottom of the second hitting a two-run homerun over the fence in left center, scoring her and Phillips. The runs would keep pouring in as Hooe and freshman Brittany Matthews/Farmville (Prince Edward) came around to score moments later on a Ketsdever double down the left field line. The Lancers would get their second homerun of the inning from Washington, as the 5-7 senior smashed one over the center field fence and across the street, scoring herself and Ketsdever. The homerun is Washington’s team-leading third of the season.
Courtney Young would fly out to Ketsdever in the top of the third, scoring jessica Norwood for the Bison and cutting the Lancer lead to 6-2. Lonwood would earn the run back in the bottom of the fourth when Washington scored on a single to right by freshman Nichole Simmons/Chesapeake (Hickory). Washington would earn herself another RBI in the bottom of the fifth, when she was hit by a pitch with the bases load walking in Matthews from third.
Howard would do its best to get something going in the top of the sixth, putting two runners in scoring position with one out, but would not be able to get past sophomore Catelyn Slagle/Chesapeake (Greenbrier Christian Academy) who came in relief of Wells in at the start of the inning.
Slagle would not only shut down the Bison in the top of the sixth, but would also help the Lancers tack on two more runs in the bottom of the inning. Slagle would get things started with a single to the second baseman that allowed Simmons to score from second. The 5-7 pitcher would come around to score herself and end the game due to the NCAA mercy rule just moments later, after a double by classmate Amy Betterton/Rocky Mount (Franklin County) allowed her to cross home.
Wells picked up her 12th win of the season after pitching five innings, while Slagle faced four batters in the top of the sixth.
