4.27.2012

BOX SCORE | YouTube Senior Night Ceremony Video

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University took a 7-1 baseball victory past the University of Maryland Eastern Shore of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Friday night at Charles Buddy Bolding Stadium in Farmville.  The Lancers (22-18) were led to their Senior Night win by senior captain Matt Gwaltney|Chesterfield (Matoaca) who gained a complete-game pitching triumph while tying his career-high with 11 strikeouts and adding two hits at the plate, while sophomore Scott Burkett|Williamsburg (Jamestown) and freshman Travis Biddix|Richmond (Mills E. Godwin) each had three hits against the Hawks (9-33).  The scheduled Longwood and UMES doubleheader on Saturday, April 28, at Bolding Stadium in Farmville has been canceled due to wet weather.  The Lancers will take a week off for spring semester examinations before returning to action on Sunday, May 6, when Duke University of the Atlantic Coast Conference visits Bolding Stadium in Farmville at 2 p.m.
   
Longwood took an early 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the second inning as freshman Joey Varaksa|Charlottesville (Albemarle) (1-4, RBI) doubled to score classmate Brandon Delk|Newport News (Warwick) (1-4) who had singled, and Varaksa scored on an RBI grounder from Biddix (3-4, RBI).  The Lancers added single runs in both the fourth and fifth innings -- getting an RBI single by freshman Conner Hall|Mechanicsville (Atlee) (2-4, RBI) that scored Gwaltney (2-2) who had doubled in the fourth, and a run-scoring single from senior captain Robby Newman|Virginia Beach (Salem) (1-5, RBI) in the fifth that plated Burkett (3-5, 2 RBI) who had tripled.
   
Longwood added two more runs in the sixth when Gwaltney, who scored three runs in the contest, again doubled and crossed the plate ahead of Biddix (bunt single) on a two-run double by Burkett.  The Lancers scored a final run in the eighth as Gwaltney drew a lead-off walk and scored on an RBI single by sophomore captain Matt Dickason|Chesapeake (Indian River) (1-5, RBI).  UMES avoided the shutout with a run in the top of the eighth via a two-out RBI double from Stephen Bull (1-4, RBI) that scored Joshua James (0-3) who had struck out on a wild pitch but managed to reach base.
   
Gwaltney (1-4) garnered the complete-game pitching victory for Longwood, his first win this season, with the 9.0 innings, yielding only three hits and one earned run with no walks and the 11 strikeouts to match his career high.  He also had 11 strikeouts against visiting George Washington (2-5) earlier this season in Farmville on March 30.
   
Brandon Schott (2-4) had two hits for UMES, while Tyler Witte (1-7) took the mound loss for the Hawks with the first 6.0 innings, allowing 12 hits and six earned runs with no walks and four strikeouts.
   
Longwood improved its all-time series record against UMES to 25-0 since the two schools first played in 1983.