4.11.2012

BOX SCORE GAME ONE | BOX SCORE GAME TWO

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University was swept in a softball doubleheader by visiting Virginia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference Wednesday in front of a record-crowd of 600-plus at Lancer Field in Farmville.  The Lancers (24-18) dropped the first game 4-0 as freshman Libby Morris|Dillwyn (Buckingham County) took the pitching loss, while the Hokies (30-14) took the second game 5-3 in eight innings as junior Ashley Cornell|Portsmouth (Churchland) had the pitching loss.  Freshmen Megan Baltzell| Stafford (Mountain View) and Katie Shinrock|Fountain Valley, Calif. (Edison) each collected two hits for the hosts, while senior Courtney Long|Mechanicsville (Hanover) had two RBI.  Longwood will play again on Thursday, April 12, hosting Norfolk State University of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference at Lancer Field in Farmville for a doubleheader at 4:30 p.m.
   
In the opener, Virginia Tech put three solo home runs on the scoreboard, including two by Courtney Liddle (3-3, 2 RBI) and another from Marra Hvozdovic (1-3, RBI) while Kylie McGoldrick (1-3, RBI) added a run-scoring single.  Hvozdovic hit her homer in the second with two outs, and Liddle hit her first in the fourth to open the inning before slamming a blast across Main Street in the sixth to lead-off.  McGoldrick's RBI came in the fifth with two outs.  Jasmin Harrell (19-9) earned the complete-game shutout with the 7.0 innings, yielding only three hits with three walks and eight strikeouts.
   
Baltzell (1-3), Shinrock (1-2), and senior Brittney Latka|Purcellville (Loudoun Valley) (1-3) had the hits for Longwood, while Morris (10-9) took the complete-game setback for the Lancers with the 7.0 innings, scattering seven hits and four earned runs with one walk and three strikeouts.
   
In the nightcap, Longwood fell behind 2-0 in the fourth before scoring two runs to tie it at 2-2 through four innings.  The Lancers added a run in the sixth to take a 3-2 advantage, but Virginia Tech rallied for a run in the seventh to tie it at 3-3, and the Hokies scored two runs in the eighth for the extra-inning win and sweep of the doubleheader played before the largest crowd ever at a Longwood home softball event.  The two schools had split five previous twinbills in a closely-played all-time series now led by VT at 7-5.
   
Virginia Tech scored first in the third when Bkaye Smith (1-3) tripled and crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Lauren Gaskill (0-3, RBI), and the Hokies added an unearned run in the fourth courtesy a throwing error.  Longwood's two runs in the fourth were via a two-out, two-run single by Long (1-3, 2 RBI) that scored Baltzell (1-3) and junior Brooke Short|Hurt (Altavista) (1-3) who had each walked -- Short intentionally.  In the sixth, Baltzell singled and scored when senior Ashley Kramer|Ashburn (Broad Run) (0-4, RBI) reached on a fielder's choice from a hard-hit ball off the pitcher's glove to second base.
   
Virginia Tech scored in the seventh when Kat Banks (2-4, RBI) homered to open the inning, and the Hokies plated two runs in the eighth from consecutive RBI doubles by Betty Rose (1-3, RBI) and Hvozdovic (1-3, RBI).  Harrell gained the pitching win in relief with the final 3.0 scoreless innings, yielding only one hit with no walks and four strikeouts.
   
Cornell (8-6) took the complete-game setback for Longwood with the 8.0 innings, scattering seven hits and three earned runs with three walks and six strikeouts.