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FARMVILLE, Va. – Sophomore Megan Baltzell/Stafford ripped a walk-off home run to secure the 9-0, mercy-rule victory for the Longwood University softball team in the series finale against Big South Conference opponent Gardner-Webb University (3-17, 0-6) on Saturday afternoon. The Lancers picked up a 10-4 victory in game one of the doubleheader en route to the series sweep at Lancer Field in Farmville. Baltzell hit .500 (3-6) on the day, with two of her hits coming by way of the long ball, and added four RBI and five runs to her stat line, as well. Sophomore Kori Nishitomi/Kaneohe, Hawaii led Longwood at the dish in the afternoon twin bill, going 5-for-6 with five runs and one RBI. Sophomore Chelsea Sciacca/Whittier logged her first-career grand slam in game one, while senior Brooke Short/Hurt and sophomore Libby Morris/Dillwyn each picked up a win in the circle. Longwood will return to action when it hosts in-state and conference foe Radford University on Wednesday, March 27, for a 4 p.m. tilt.

“It's always nice to come out and win a conference series,” said head coach Kathy Riley. “We steadily improved each game by attacking the ball and having quality at-bats.”

Longwood opened game one in the field with a strikeout from Short and an infield groundout, but Gardner-Webb extended the inning with a two-out double before scoring its first run of the weekend on a Lancer throwing error. The Runnin' Bulldogs' lead would not stay intact for long, though, as Longwood scored two in the bottom of the inning. Nishitomi led off with a blooper to shallow center, Baltzell legged out an infield single and Short walked to load the bases. With two outs, freshman Carly Adams/Colonial Heights (1-5, 2 RBI) turned on the first pitch she saw, sending a liner to left center and putting Longwood ahead, 2-1.

Gardner-Webb made noise with two-outs once again in its next at-bat, logging back-to-back infield singles, but Longwood got out of inning when Adams cleanly fielded a hard chopper. Longwood broke the game wide open in the home half of the inning, as Nishitomi started a two-out rally with a base hit. Baltzell, Short and freshman Emily Murphy/Virginia Beach (2-5, 1 run, 2 RBI) drew three consecutive walks to make it a 3-1 game and bring Sciacca (3-5, 2 runs, 5 RBI) to the plate with the bases still loaded. The outfielder drilled a line drive over the fence in left field to put the Lancers on top, 7-1.

GWU chipped away at the deficit in the third, getting a single up the middle followed by a double off the fence. Both runs scored on another Longwood fielding error to make it 7-3. The Lancers could not get any runs back in bottom of inning, but the squad held the visitors scoreless in the fourth, as Nishitomi caught a liner in shallow left field before senior relief pitcher Ashley Cornell/Portsmouth got a strikeout and sophomore center fielder Katie Shinrock/Fountain Valley, Calif. (0-4) caught a fly ball. In the home half of the inning, Nishitomi got on base with a bunt single and Baltzell walked, bringing up Short, who sent a high fly ball over the fence in right center, giving Longwood a 10-3 advantage.

Both sides were quickly retired in the fifth. Gardner-Webb went three up and three down on just four pitches in top sixth. The Lancers threatened to extend their lead in the bottom of the inning, as Nishitomi singled once again and moved into scoring position, but was left stranded there. GWU tallied one run in the seventh by way of an error and sacrifice fly, but Longwood ended the inning to seal the 10-4 win. Short hurled three innings to pick up the decision, allowing five hits while striking out three. Cornell pitched the final four innings, giving up just two hits and tallying a pair of strikeouts. All four of the Runnin' Bulldogs runs were unearned.

The Lancers quickly put an end to GWU's first at-bat in game two with a liner and groundout to senior third baseman Jordan Cox/Springfield (1-5, 1 RBI), and a strikeout by Morris. In the bottom of the inning, Nishitomi walked and stole second to get in scoring position for Short, who doubled to knock in the first run of the game. Murphy followed with a RBI triple to the warning track in center, making it 2-0.

In the top of the second, Longwood forced three groundouts to retire the visitor's side. Freshman Jamie Barbour/Amelia (2-6, 1 run) poked a base hit through the left side in the bottom of the inning, but Longwood could not capitalize. GWU put a runner on with a walk in the third, but that would be all the squad would get, as Morris got a strikeout before Cox and Murphy fielded a pair of groundouts. In the bottom of the third, Sciacca tagged a two-out double to right center and Adams walked. Both runners advanced with stolen bases, despite an on-target throw to third. Cox found a gap in short left field for a single to score Sciacca. Adams tried to take home on the play, as well, but was out at the plate on good throw from left.

The Lancers defense made a great play in the top fourth when a GWU hitter was caught trying to extend a single into a double. Sciacca fielded the hit and threw to Cox, who turned and fired back to Murphy on second for the tag out. In the home half of the inning, Barbour singled to right center and scored on a double to left from Nishitomi, giving Longwood a 4-0 lead. Baltzell came up next and ripped a two-run home run to make it 6-0. Short singled and Murphy drew a walk before Sciacca logged a RBI infield single that put Longwood ahead, 7-0.

Longwood sat down the Gardner-Webb side in order in the top of the fifth. Nishitomi walked in the bottom of the inning to bring up Baltzell, who crushed a home run that one-hopped in the road behind Lancer Field before settling in clear across street, giving the Lancers the 9-0, walk-off victory in five-innings. Morris went the distance in the circle to earn the shutout win, striking out two of the 17 batters she faced.