ATHENS, Ga. – Longwood University took a 5-1 softball decision past Elon University for its first victory of the season on Sunday at the Red & Black Showcase Tournament being hosted by the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. The Lancers finished 1-3 to open the 2009 campaign in Georgia. Longwood will host its own tournament, the Lancer Lead Off Classic, this weekend, February 21-22, along with Bucknell, Quinnipiac, and St. John's who the Lancers will open against on Saturday, Feb. 21, at Lancer Field in Farmville beginning at 10 a.m..

Against Elon of the Southern Conference, Longwood scored two runs in the first inning and added single runs in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings en route to the win. In the first, freshman Lashunda Davis/Natalie (Halifax County) (1-3, RBI) led off with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Nichole Simmons/Chesapeake (Hickory) (0-2), and to third on an infield single by junior Camille Ketsdever/Irvine, Calif. (Irvine) (2-4). After Ketsdever stole second base, both runners scored unearned on a fielding error at shortstop. In the fourth, Davis' RBI single scored freshman Ashley Kramer/Ashburn (Broad Run) (2-4) who had reached on an infield single. In the fifth, Ketsdever reached on a one-out single and scored on an RBI double from senior Emily Radford/Tacoma, Wash. (Fife) (1-4, RBI). In the sixth, Kramer again reached on an infield single and scored on a two-out, pinch hit single up the middle by freshman Brittney Latka/Purcellville (Loudoun Valley) (1-1, RBI).

Freshman Courtney Long/Mechanicsville (Hanover) (3-3) led Longwood at the plate with three hits. Sophomore Briana Wells/Romoland, Calif. (Paloma Valley) (1-3) earned the pitching win with the first 6.0 innings on the mound, allowing just three hits, one run-unearned, with three walks and five strikeouts. Sophomore Brittney Spencer/Virginia Beach (First Colonial) pitched the final 1.0 inning, yielding one hit with one walk for the Lancers.