Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

TUCSON, Ariz. – The Longwood University softball team went 1-1 on Day One of the Wildcat Invitational hosted by the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz. Junior Chelsea Sciacca/Whittier, Calif. logged a pair of doubles and two RBI to lead the Lancers to a hard-fought, 4-3 victory against UT Arlington (10-7) in the squad's first of five games at the tournament on Friday. Longwood (4-2) then faced an 8-0 setback in five innings against No. 10 Arizona later in the day. Sciacca finished the afternoon 3-4 (.750) at the plate after logging the team's lone hit against the Wildcats. Sophomore Jamie Barbour/Amelia batted .400 (2-5) through the pair of games to add to the team's offense. Freshman Elizabeth McCarthy/Dunnsville picked up the win in the circle for the Lancers against UTA with a personal-best six strikeouts and no earned runs in 6.1 innings of work. Longwood will play two more games tomorrow, Saturday, March 1, against Indiana University at 11 a.m. and Valparaiso at 3 p.m.

"We did several things that helped us win today against the University of Texas-Arlington," said head coach Kathy Riley. "We had our best at-bats of the season, making the UTA pitcher work hard to get us out. Besides getting great pitching again, we also played very unselfish softball, putting being successful as a group ahead of individual performance."

The Lancers took an early lead against UTA in the bottom of the first inning, as sophomore Carly Adams/Colonial Heights (1-4, 1 run) singled up the middle before Sciacca drove a RBI double to left center and scored on a throwing error, putting Longwood ahead, 2-0. Both sides left one runner stranded in the second, but combined for five runs in the third. In the top of the inning, the Mavericks put runners on the corners following a Longwood miscue and added back-to-back hits, including a two-run double, to take a 3-2 advantage. However, the Lancers responded in the home half of the inning when sophomore Emily Murphy/Virginia Beach (1-4, 1 run, 1 walk) led off with a two-bagger to center field. Adams executed a sacrifice bunt to move Murphy to third before junior Megan Baltzell/Stafford (1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI) brought her home with a single through the left side, knotting the score at 3-3. Sciacca kept things going with a double down the left field line, scoring Baltzell and giving the Lancers a slight, 4-3 edge.

The remainder of the game turned out to be a defensive battle, as neither side was able to plate a run. UT Arlington threatened to erase the Longwood lead in the top of the seventh, using a leadoff single and a walk to put runners on first and second with just one out. Junior pitcher Libby Morris/Dillwyn (2.1 IP, 7 ER) was called to the circle in relief and forced the first batter she faced to ground out to Barbour. With the tying run just sixty feet away from the plate, the Mavs' final batter sent a high fly ball to right field that was tracked down by junior Casey Lifsey/Portsmouth (0-4), giving Morris the save and Longwood the 4-3 victory.

In the Lancers' second game of the day against Arizona, the Wildcats used five hits in their first trip to the plate to take a 4-0 lead.

"We treated the Arizona game like any championship game and learned that we have a lot of work ahead of us," said Riley. I thought the players stayed within themselves. Arizona was just better than us. We are already looking forward to Indiana."

In the top of the second, Sciacca led off with an infield single before advancing to second on a groundout by freshman Taylor Hedrick/Fredericksburg (0-5). Classmate Justina Augustine/Warrenton (0-4, 1 walk) stepped in for her at-bat and drew a one-out walk, but both runners were eventually left stranded. Arizona extended its lead to 7-0 with two outs in the home half of the inning, thanks to a three-run home run from Chelsea Goodacre.

Freshman pitcher Jenna Carnes/Six Mile, S.C. (2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 SO), who was called out of the bullpen to take over in the bottom of the second for the starter Morris, got herself out of a bases-loaded jam in the third, snagging a line drive hit back at her before throwing to third for the double play to end the inning. Both sides went three-up and three-down in the fourth before Lauren Young drove a walk-off solo homer over the wall in center field to seal the 8-0, mercy-rule decision for Arizona.