3.21.2012

BOX SCORE GAME ONE | Game One LongwoodULancers YouTube Video Highlights

BOX SCORE GAME TWO

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University swept a softball doubleheader past visiting James Madison University of the Colonial Athletic Association Wednesday at Lancer Field in Farmville, winning game one 2-1 and game two 9-0 in five innings.  The Lancers improved to 20-9 overall, including 13-1 at home, and attained their 15th-straight 20-win season while led by sophomore Leta Bressin|Gloucester (Gloucester) and freshman Kori Nishitomi|Kaneohe, Hawaii (Maryknoll) -- each with four hits and two RBI -- with the respective pitching wins going to junior Ashley Cornell|Portsmouth (Churchland) along with freshman Libby Morris|Dillwyn (Buckingham County).  Longwood will return to the road this weekend, March 24-25, to play in the University in Alabama Challenge in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  The Lancers will play two games each against the host Crimson Tide (26-1) of the Southeastern Conference, ranked #1 in this week's USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll, and DePaul University (15-7) of the BIG EAST Conference, ranked #25.
   
In the opener, Longwood scored two runs in the third inning as Nishitomi (1-3, RBI) had an RBI single and freshman Megan Baltzell|Stafford (Mountain View) (0-2, RBI) added a run-scoring sacrifice fly.  The runs were scored by seniors Courtney Long|Mechanicsville (Hanover) (1-2) and Brittney Latka|Purcellville (Loudoun Valley) (1-1) who had singled and walked, respectively.  JMU plated a run in the fifth via a sac fly RBI from Ashley Burnham (1-3, RBI).
   
Cornell (5-1) took care of the rest for the Lancers with her complete-game 7.0-inning effort, scattering five hits and one run, earned, with three walks and one strikeout.  Heather Keifer (2-2) took the loss for the Dukes.
   
In the nightcap, Longwood scored a run in the first before adding four runs each in both the second and third inning en route to the shortened contest via the eight-run rule.  In the first, Bressin (3-3, 2 RBI) and Nishitomi (3-3, RBI) hit back-to-back singles and each advanced a base on a fielding error as well with Bressin crossing the plate unearned.  In the second, Bressin added an RBI infield single that scored senior Ashley Kramer|Ashburn (Broad Run) (1-2) who had also singled.  Baltzell (1-3, RBI) added an RBI infield single as well that plated Long (0-0) who had walked, and junior Brooke Short|Hurt (Altavista) (1-2, 3 RBI) followed with a two-out, two-run single that scored Bressin and Nishitomi who had each singled.
   
In the third, Latka (1-2, RBI) singled to score Kramer who had walked to lead-off, and Bressin added another run-scoring infield single that scored senior Leigh Sexton|Suffolk (Randolph College) (1-3) who had also singled.  Nishitomi had an RBI single down the left field line, and Short contributed a sacrifice fly RBI during the at-bat as well.
   
Morris (9-5) did her part for Longwood with the complete-game 5.0-inning shutout on the mound, yielding only one hit with one walk and no strikeouts.  Cara Stecher (1-1) had the loss for JMU, and Morgan Heath (1-2) had the lone hit when she reached on a two-out infield single to second base in the third inning.