4.25.2012

BOX SCORE GAME ONE | BOX SCORE GAME TWO | LongwoodULancers Video Highlights

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University swept a softball doubleheader past visiting Elon University of the Southern Conference Wednesday evening on Senior Day at Lancer Field in Farmville.  The Lancers (28-25) won the opener 10-6 in come-from-behind fashion with six runs in the fourth inning, including back-to-back home runs by junior Brooke Short|Hurt (Altavista) and senior Ashley Kramer|Ashburn (Broad Run) as freshman Libby Morris|Dillwyn (Buckingham County) gained the pitching win and junior Ashley Cornell|Portsmouth (Churchland) earned a save against the Phoenix (20-19).  The hosts took the nightcap 6-0 as Kramer had three hits and three RBI while Morris and Cornell combined for a five-hit shutout against the visitors.  Longwood will now take a week off for spring semester examinations before returning to action on Saturday, May 5, in its season finale on the road at future Big South Conference rival and in-state school Liberty University for a doubleheader in Lynchburg at 2 p.m.
   
In the first game, Longwood led 2-0 through three innings after scoring two runs in the second when junior Jordan Cox|Springfield (Robert E. Lee) (3-4, 2RBI), who had three hits in the contest, and senior Courtney Long|Mechanicsville (Hanover) (1-4, RBI) hit consecutive RBI doubles.  Elon, however, scored five runs in the fourth to lead 5-2 as Johanna Spencer (1-3, 2 RBI) and Carleigh Nester (2-4, 3 RBI) hit two-run and three-run homers, respectively.  The Lancers, though, responded with six runs in the fourth following an RBI double by senior Brittney Latka|Purcellville (Loudoun Valley) (1-2, RBI), a sacrifice fly from freshman Kori Nishitomi|Kaneohe, Hawaii (Maryknoll School) (1-3, 2 RBI), a run-scoring single by freshmen Megan Baltzell|Stafford (Mountain View) (1-2, RBI), a two-run home run to left field from Short (2-4, 2 RBI), and a solo homer to center field by Kramer (2-3, RBI) to lead for good at 8-5.  It was the sixth home run for Short this season, and the second of the year for Kramer.
   
The Phoenix got a run back in the fifth, but Longwood added a run in both the fifth and sixth.  In the fifth, Nishitomi added an RBI single while in the sixth, Cox added another run-scoring double -- her third double in the game.  Morris (12-13) gained the pitching win for the Lancers with the first 4.1 innings, scattering seven hits and six earned runs with one walk and four strikeouts.  Cornell (2) earned the save with the final 2.2 scoreless innings, yielding one hit with no walks and three strikeouts.  Caitlin O'Shea (2-4) took the loss for Elon.
   
In the nightcap, Longwood scored one run in the first, one run in the second, two runs in the fourth, and single runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.  Kramer (3-4, 3 RBI) contributed an RBI single in the first, and Latka (1-3, RBI) hit a solo home run to center field in the second -- her second homer this spring.  In the fourth, sophomore Leta Bressin|Gloucester (Gloucester) (3-4, RBI) had a run-scoring triple and Nishitomi (0-3) reached on a throwing error and later scored on a wild pitch.  Kramer added another RBI single in the fifth, and finished her outstanding day (5-7, 4 RBI) with yet another run-scoring single in the sixth.  Long (2-3) also had two hits in the game for the Lancers.
   
Morris again garnered the pitching win for Longwood with the first 5.0 innings, scattering five hits with one walk and four strikeouts.  Cornell tossed the final 2.0 innings, yielding no hits with one walk and two strikeouts.  Erin O'Shea (13-10) took the loss for Elon.
   
It was a fitting sweep of the twinbill for the four seniors making their final appearances at Lancer Field.  Ashley Kramer, Brittney Latka, Courtney Long, and Leigh Sexton|Suffolk comprise the Class of 2012, a group that has led the program to a record of 124-77 over the past four seasons.