March 8, 2009

BOX SCORE

LAKEWOOD, Calif. – The Longwood University softball team wrapped up the Long Beach State Invitational on Sunday with a 12-2 loss to #3 UCLA in six innings. Briana Wells/Romoland, Calif. (Paloma Valley) went 1-for-3 with a triple and one RBI to lead the Lancers. Longwood returns to action on Friday, March 13 at the California Riverside Tournament. The Lancers will face Providence at noon ET and UC Riverside at 2:30 p.m. ET.

UCLA (23-2) got on the board first, scoring three runs in the third inning and five in the fourth. Longwood (6-9) got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth, with Amy Betterton/Rocky Mount, Va. (Franklin County) getting things started with a leadoff walk. Brittany Matthews/Farmville, Va. (Prince Edward) entered the game as a pinch runner and advanced to second when Maggie Margadonna/Sea Girt, N.J. (Wall Township) grounded out to second base. Matthews scored when Wells tripled to right center. Brittany Spencer/Virginia Beach, Va. (First Colonial) ran for Wells and scored on a Tricia Nelson/Plainfield, Ill. (Plainfield) single. UCLA added four more runs in the top of the sixth inning and Longwood could not pull closer, falling 12-2 in six innings.

Wells pitched four innings, giving up eight runs, only three of them earned. Spencer came in after running for Wells and threw the last two innings, giving up four runs on six hits. Nelson finished 1-for-2 with one RBI. Courtney Long/Mechanicsville, Va. (Hanover), who is hitting .375 on the season, went 1-for-2 with a triple.

Whitney Baker picked up the win for UCLA, improving to 8-0 on the season. Gionna DiSalvatore went 4-for-4 with a double and a triple. She scored three runs and drove in two more.