February 20, 2009

BOX SCORE
   
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University dropped a 10-7 season-opening baseball decision to the University of Delaware Friday afternoon at Lancer Stadium in Farmville.  Sophomore Brant Jones/Richmond (Monacan) (3-5, 3 RBI) led the Lancers (0-1) with three hits, including two doubles, and three RBI, while senior Jon Quigley/Annandale (W.T. Woodson) (2-4, RBI) added two hits, including a solo home run in the fourth inning.  Chris Nehl (4-5, 2 RBI) led the Blue Hens (1-0) with four hits, including two doubles, and two RBI.  Longwood and Delaware of the Colonial Athletic Association will continue the four-game weekend series on Saturday, February 21, with a doubleheader at Lancer Stadium beginning at 1 p.m..
   
Longwood fell behind 2-0 in the first inning before tying the game at 2-2 in second as junior Casey Havers/Thorofare, N.J. (West Deptford) (1-3) singled ahead of a double by Quigley to put runners at second and third with no outs.  After a one-out walk loaded the bases, Havers scored on a wild pitch while Quigley crossed the plate as well following a throwing error on the catcher.  Delaware added a run in the fourth on a solo home run to left field by Ryan Reed (2-5, 3 RBI), but Quigley answered for the Lancers with his line drive blast to straight-away center field.  UD scored another run in the fifth on a solo home run from Carlos Alonso (2-4, RBI), also to left field.  The Lancers, however, responded with two runs in the fifth to lead 5-4 after an RBI double by Jones and a sacrifice fly from junior Phil Cerreto/Midlothian (Midlothian) (0-4, RBI).
   
Delaware took control of the game in the seventh inning with four runs to lead 8-5, and UD plated two more runs in the ninth to lead 10-5 before Longwood added two runs in the bottom of the ninth for the final margin.  In the seventh, the Blue Hens had four hits, including an RBI double from Nehl along with run-scoring singles by Ryan Cuneo (2-5, RBI), Pat Dameron (2-4, RBI), and Scott Shockley (1-5, RBI).  In the ninth, Reed added a two-run double for the visitors, while Jones had a two-run double down the left field line for the Lancers during their final at-bat.  Nehl also contributed an RBI single in the first inning, while Bill Merkler (0-4, RBI) drove in a run on a ground ball out.
   
Junior Lance Harting/Ballston Spa, N.Y. (Ballston Spa) (0-1) took the pitching loss with the final 3.0 innings on the mound, allowing seven hits, six runs-six earned, with three walks and four strikeouts.  Senior John Walker II/Alexandria (West Potomac) had pitched the first 6.0 innings, yielding seven hits, four runs-four earned, with one walk and eight strikeouts.  Sam Cerbo (1-0) earned the mound win for Delaware with 3.0 scoreless innings of late relief, allowing no hits, no runs, and no walks with three strikeouts.