February 22, 2009

BOX SCORE

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University took a 14-7 come-from-behind baseball victory past the University of Delaware Sunday afternoon at Lancer Stadium in Farmville.  Juniors Phil Cerreto/Midlothian (Midlothian) (4-4, 3 RBI) and David Smiy Jr./Chesterfield (Matoaca) (3-5, 3 RBI), along with sophomore Brant Jones/Richmond (Monacan) (1-4, 3 RBI), led the Lancers (2-2) with three RBI each while rallying from a 7-3 deficit after five innings.  Bill Merkler (2-5, 4 RBI) led the Blue Hens (2-2) of the Colonial Athletic Association with four RBI, including a three-run home run, as the two teams split their four-game weekend series.  Longwood will play again on Tuesday, February 24, hosting the University of Richmond of the Atlantic 10 Conference at Lancer Stadium beginning at 2:30 p.m..
   
Delaware led 7-3 through five innings after Merkler's followed his three-run homer in the first with an RBI single in the third.  Carlos Alonso (1-3, 2 RBI) added an RBI single in the fourth after driving in a run in the second as well.  Longwood scored in the first on an RBI single from Cerreto, and added a run in the third on Cerreto's RBI double before scoring a run in the fifth on sacrifice fly by freshman Dustin Sollars/Midlothian (Cosby) (1-3, 2RBI).
   
The Lancers took control with seven runs in the sixth inning as Jones delivered the big blow with a three-run double.  Also producing runs in the inning were freshman Robby Newman/Virginia Beach (Salem) (1-5, 2 RBI) with a single, classmate Mark Montgomery/Williamsburg (Bruton) (1-3, RBI) with a double, Sollars with a single, and Cerreto with another single.  LU added another run in the seventh when senior Jon Quigley/Annandale (W.T. Woodson) (1-5) singled to right field and later scored on a fielder's choice RBI by Newman.  The hosts put three more runs on the board in the eighth when Smiy contributed a three-run triple to right center field.
   
Freshman Matt Gwaltney/Chesterfield (Matoaca) (1-0) picked up the pitching win with a third of an inning of relief, allowing a hit and hitting a batter before junior Lance Harting/Ballston Spa, N.Y. (Ballston Spa) (1) went the final 3.0 scoreless innings on the mound for his first save, yielding just one hit with two walks and five strikeouts.  Sophomore Chris Briere/Midlothian (James River) had pitched the first 5.2 innings, allowing nine hits, seven runs-three earned, with four walks and three strikeouts.  Brad Miller (0-1) took the mound loss for Delaware with the first 5.2 innings, allowing eight hits, eight runs-six earned, with one walk and three strikeouts.