May 16, 2010

BOX SCORE

NORFOLK, Va. -- Longwood University took a 14-7 baseball victory on the road at Norfolk State University of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Sunday at Miller Field in Norfolk. The Lancers (26-18) scored eight runs during the final two innings against the Spartans (19-27-1) after being tied at 6-6 through seven innings en route to sweeping the three-game weekend series and all five games against NSU this season. Seniors Casey Havers/Thorofare, N.J. (West Deptford) and Scott Kimble/Spotsylvania (Spotsylvania) each collected three hits while junior Brant Jones/Richmond (Monacan) had two hits and four RBI, including a two-run home run, as LU won its fourth-straight game and ninth in last 11 games overall. Longwood will return to Farmville to host its 2010 home finale against Campbell University of the Atlantic Sun Conference on Tuesday, May 18, at Bolding Stadium beginning at 6 p.m.. Admission is Free.

Longwood scored two runs in the first and one run in the third for an early 3-0 advantage before Norfolk State scored a run in the fourth to make it 3-1. The Lancers added a run in the fifth, and two runs in the sixth to lead 6-1, but the Spartans answered with five runs in the sixth to tie it at 6-6. LU pushed four runs across in the eighth to lead 10-6, and NSU added another run in the eighth to make it a three-run game at 10-7. The visitors made sure of the outcome with four more runs in the ninth to provide for the final seven-run margin of victory to even the squad's road record this season at 8-8.

Longwood opened the game with three consecutive singles by Kimble (3-4, 3 RBI), Jones (2-4, 4 RBI), and Havers (3-5, 2 RBI) with Kimble scoring on Havers' RBI. Jones crossed the plate on an RBI ground-out by senior Phil Cerreto/Midlothian (Midlothian) (0-4, 2 RBI). In the third, Havers led-off with a double, moved to third on a passed ball, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Cerreto for his school-record 21st career sacrifice fly. In the fifth, senior David Smiy Jr./Chesterfield (Matoaca) (1-5, RBI) had an RBI single, while in the sixth, senior Robbie Bailey/Mechanicsville (Hanover) (2-5) reached on a bunt single and later scored on an error before Jones contributed a sacrifice fly as well.

The Lancers took control during the final two innings as in the eighth, Kimble provided a bases-loaded, two-run double ahead of sacrifice flies from both Jones and Havers. In the ninth, freshman Justin Lacy/Glen Allen (J.R. Tucker) (2-5, RBI) had an RBI ground-ball out and Kimble added an RBI single before Jones closed-out the scoring with a two-run home run. It was his seventh homer this season, tied for second-best on the team.

Junior Troy Dickman/Midlothian (Midlothian) (3-5) earned the pitching win in relief with the final 3.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one run, earned, with no strikeouts and one walk.

Havers and Jones each extended their respective hitting streaks to 23 and 19 games -- Havers' streak is the team's longest this year and ties for the second-best in the 33-year history of the program while Jones' streak is fourth-best.

Norfolk State was led in game one by John Lynch (3-4, RBI), Sammy Serafine (2-4, 2 RBI), and Chris Warren (1-4, 2 RBI). Kyle Davis (0-2) took the mound loss in relief as well with 1.0 inning, yielding two hits and four runs, all earned, with no strikeout and no walks.