April 18, 2009
BOX SCORE: Longwood 3, Liberty 0
BOX SCORE: Liberty 2, Longwood 1
FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University split a pair of softball games with Liberty University, winning the first game 3-0 before falling 2-1 in the second game on Saturday afternoon in Farmville. The Lancers celebrated Senior Day with
Emily Radford/Tacoma, Wash. (Fife) honored as the only senior. Sophomore
Maggie Margadonna/Sea Girt, N.J. (Wall Township) hit a three-run home run in the first game to give the Lancers the win. Longwood is now 19-18 while Liberty is 16-28. The Lancers return to the field on Sunday, April 19, facing Howard University in a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. in Washington, D.C..
Longwood struck in the third inning of the first game.
Kami Nuckols/Glen Allen (Patrick Henry) led off the inning with a bunt single.
Camille Ketsdever/Irvine, Calif. (Irvine) reached on a fielder's choice with Nuckols safe at second after a throwing error by the third baseman.
Courtney Long/Mechanicsville (Hanover) laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third with one out. Radford popped out for the second out but Margadonna followed with her third home run of the season, this one a three-run shot to left field. Longwood took the three-run lead and never let go.
Briana Wells/Romoland, Calif. (Paloma Valley) pitched a shutout, giving up six hits over seven innings. Nuckols went 2-for-3 and with three RBI. Tiffani Smith was given the loss after giving up three runs on five hits in 2.2 innings. Sarah Ellis pitched 3.1 no-hit innings in relief for the Flames.
Liberty scored first in the second game. Keely McMillon hit a one-out double to right field. Cassie Hendrix singled to left field and
Nichole Simmons/Chesapeake (Hickory) bobbled the ball, allowing McMillon to score from second base and giving the Flames the 1-0 lead after two innings. Longwood tied the game in the bottom of the third inning. Nuckols singled through the left side with one out and promptly stole second base. She advanced to third on a Ketsdever groundout and came in to score on a Long RBI single. The score was tied at 1-1 after three innings. Neither team would score until the seventh inning. Liberty loaded the bases with one out. Danielle Howard hit a ground ball to third baseman
Amy Betterton/Rocky Mount (Franklin County) who threw home to record the second out of the inning. McMillon singled to right field scoring Beth Bennett for the go-ahead run. J'nae Jefferson was thrown out at the plate by
Camille Ketsdever from right field. Longwood was retired in order in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Brittany Spencer/Virginia Beach (First Colonial) started in the circle for the Lancers and pitched four innings, giving up five hits and one unearned run. Wells came in in relief and gave up six hits and one run in the loss. Liberty's Ellis received the win.
Nuckols went 5-for-7 on the day, increasing her average to .406, and scored two runs. Wells went 1-1, giving up one run on 12 hits in 10 innings.
