Box Score
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Freshmen
Colton Konvicka/Richmond,
Blake Ream/Yorktown and
Kyri Washington/Prospect each had two hits and an RBI to lead Longwood University to a 7-5 baseball road win on Tuesday afternoon at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, the program's first-ever win against a Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent. Ream also gained the pitching win in relief for the visiting Lancers (13-16), while sophomore
Aaron Myers/Newport News earned the mound save. Taylor Smart had three hits, and Vance Vizcaino added one hit and two RBI, to lead the host Volunteers (13-14), while Trevor Charpie took the pitching loss in relief. Longwood will host George Mason University of the Colonial Athletic Association for a non-conference game on Wednesday, April 3 at 4 p.m. at Charles Buddy Bolding Stadium in Farmville.
Longwood took an early 1-0 lead with a run in the second inning after Washington (2-4, RBI) doubled to lead-off, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by freshman
Travis Burnette/Lynchburg (1-3) and scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from sophomore
Brandon Delk/Newport News (0-2, RBI).
Tennessee answered with two runs in the second to lead 2-1 after Smart (3-4) and Ethan Bennett (0-1) each walked with two outs before a double-steal put them at third and second base, respectively. Vizcaino (1-4, 2 RBI) promptly followed with a two-run double to give the Vols the lead.
Longwood tied it at 2-2 in the third inning as junior
Alex Owens/Purcellville (1-3) doubled with one out and scored on a two-out RBI double by classmate
Matt Dickason/Chesapeake (1-5, RBI). The Lancers added another run in the fourth inning to lead 3-2 after Burnette reached via a fielding error to open the frame and scored with one out on a run-scoring double from Ream (2-3, RBI).
Tennessee responded with a run in the fourth, as well, to tie it again, this time at 3-3 following a lead-off walk to Smart, who stole second base with one out and scored on a two-out, RBI single by Jeff Moberg (2-4, RBI).
Longwood took the lead for good (4-3) in the seventh inning when Ream doubled to lead-off and scored on a one-out, RBI single by Konvicka (2-5, RBI). The Lancers added three runs in the eighth inning to lead 7-3 after Washington hit a one-out, solo home run to center field, his third of the season, followed by a single from Burnette and a walk to Delk, and both crossed the plate unearned courtesy a fielding error at third base that allowed Ream to reach base.
Tennessee tried to rally late with two runs in the eighth, getting an RBI ground ball from Pierce Bily (1-5, RBI) to score Moberg, who had drawn a lead-off walk, and Andrew Lee (1-4) crossed the plate via an error after also walking.
Ream (3-4) tossed 3.1 innings of middle relief for Longwood, scattering four hits and one run, earned, with two walks and one strikeout. Myers (5) pitched the final 3.0 innings to earn the save for the Lancers, scattering four hits and two runs, one earned, with two walks and two strikeouts. Sophomore
Tyler Wislocki/Annandale had started and went the first 2.2 innings, allowing four hits and two runs, both earned, with two walks and no strikeouts.
Charpie (2-3) pitched 1.1 innings of late relief for Tennessee, yielding two hits and three runs, one earned, with one walk and two strikeouts.
The victory is arguably the program's biggest win since becoming Division I-eligible for the 2008 season. It's also the first-ever triumph against a school from the SEC, as Longwood dropped a three-game series at the University of South Carolina during 2005 while the Lancers' were in their Division I Reclassification period.
