Box Score FARMVILLE, Va. -- Ryan Seiz and Becker Sankey each had two hits, including home runs, and two RBIs, and Trey Lambert gained the pitching win, to lead Liberty University to a 10-4 Big South Conference North Division baseball victory past Longwood University on Friday night at Bolding Stadium in Farmville. Junior
Brandon Delk/Newport News had three hits, including a home run, and two RBIs for the Lancers (14-21, 4-9 Big South) in the opening game of the three-game weekend series against the visiting Flames (27-8, 12-1 Big South). Longwood and Liberty will play again on Saturday, April 12 at 4 p.m. in Farmville.
Liberty scored a run in the first inning to lead 1-0. Nick Lacik (0-3, RBI) coaxed a 10-pitch walk to open the game and crossed the plate with one out on an RBI single to right center field by Seiz (2-4, 2 RBIs).
Longwood also scored a run in the first to tie it at 1-1. Senior captain
Matt Dickason/Chesapeake (2-3) doubled down the left field line and into the corner, and moved to third base on a single by sophomore
Kyri Washington/Prospect (2-5). Dickason scored on a ground ball double play off the bat of Delk (3-4, 2 RBIs). The Lancers added another run in the second inning to lead 2-1. Senior captain
Alex Owens/Purcellville (1-4) tripled to right center field to lead off and crossed the plate with one out on a ground ball to second base from freshman
Mac McCafferty/Stevens, Pennsylvania (1-4, RBI).
Liberty scored again in the third inning to tie it at 2-2. Lacik walked again, moved to second base on a single by Will Shepherd (1-6), on to third base via a deep fly ball to left field from Seiz and scored on a fielder's choice RBI off the bat of Sankey (2-5, 2 RBIs).
Longwood also scored again in the third to go back in front, 3-2. Dickason and Washington each singled with one out to put runners on the corners, before Delk drove the ball to the wall in center field for a run-scoring double that plated Dickason, though Washington was out at home on the play.
Liberty broke things open in the fifth inning with five runs on three hits to lead 7-3, aided by a hit batter, two walks, two wild pitches and a fielding error. Seiz was hit by a pitch with one out, followed by a single from Sankey and a walk to Dalton Britt (1-4) to load the bases. Seiz crossed the plate on a wild pitch, Sankey scored on an RBI single by Alex Close (1-2, RBI) and Britt scored on the fielding error at third base. A run-scoring single from Dylan Allen (1-4, RBI) plated Close, while Danny Grauer (2-5, RBI), who had reached on the error, crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly RBI by Lacik. The Flames added another run in the sixth inning to lead 8-3, getting a solo home run to left field from Sankey.
The Lancers got a run back in the seventh to make it 8-4, getting a solo home run to left field from Delk, his sixth of the season.
Liberty scored again in the eighth inning to lead 9-4, getting an opposite-field solo home run to left field by Seiz. The Flames added a final run in the ninth inning for the final six-run margin. Close was hit by a pitch and scored from first base on an RBI double down the left field line by Grauer.
Sophomore
Travis Burnette/Lynchburg started for Longwood and pitched the first 3.0 innings, scattering four hits and two earned runs with one strikeout and three walks. Freshman
Mitchell Kuebbing/Burlington, Kentucky (1-2) was the second of four pitchers for the Lancers and tossed 2.0 innings of middle relief to take the loss, yielding three hits and five runs, four earned, with one strikeout and two walks.
Lambert (8-1) started for Liberty and pitched the first 7.0 innings for the win, allowing eight hits and four earned runs with seven strikeouts and three walks.
