Box Score

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Longwood University softball team defeated Big South Conference opponent Gardner-Webb University (11-28, 1-10), 4-3, on Sunday afternoon to sweep the regular-season series between the two squads. Longwood led, 2-1, before scoring two runs in the seventh and holding the Runnin' Bulldogs to just two of their own in their final trip to the plate, sealing the one-run decision. Six Lancers registered one hit apiece in the outing, including junior Casey Lifsey/Portsmouth, who logged a solo home run, and classmate Megan Baltzell/Stafford, who drove a triple to the wall in the seventh to score what would be the winning run. Junior Chelsea Sciacca/Whittier, Calif. notched one hit, in addition to two runs. Junior pitcher Libby Morris/Dillwyn went the distance in the circle with three strikeouts to improve to 13-4 overall this season. Longwood (25-7, 12-2) will return to action on Wednesday, April 9 when the squad travels to in-state opponent James Madison University for a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.
 
"There were some things to celebrate today and some things that we have to work on," said head coach Kathy Riley. "The pitchers did a really nice job and the infield defense was solid up until the last inning. We have to continue to work on getting more comfortable and confident with our hitting. There were some bright spots in our hitting, though. We were a little freer swinging today earlier in the count and we also did a super job hitting with two strikes. We kept ourselves in every at-bat, so we are really happy with this result."
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs threatened to take an early lead in the bottom of the first inning, using an error and a base hit up the middle to put runners on first and second. Both runners advanced on a groundout, but were left there, extinguishing the opportunity. Longwood pulled ahead in the second, as Sciacca and sophomore Carly Adams/Colonial Heights (1-2) each logged a single to right before freshman Justina Augustine/Warrenton (0-1, 1 walk, 1 RBI) knocked a sacrifice fly to center to score Sciacca and give the visitors a slight, 1-0 edge. Morris struck out the GWU side in order in the home half of the inning and neither side was able to plate a run in the third, but the Lancers did extend their margin in the fourth. Sciacca got things started with a walk before advancing to second on a wild pitch, moving to third on a sacrifice bunt and crossing the plate on a base hit by sophomore Jamie Barbour/Amelia (1-3, 1 RBI).
 
GWU went three-up and three-down in the home half of the fourth, but got on the board in the fifth, as Taylar Pridgen recorded the RBI single, cutting the deficit back to just one at 2-1. The bats were silent for both sides in the sixth with the lone base runner reaching on a Longwood miscue. Longwood added two more runs in the seventh, however, thanks to a one-out solo home run by Lifsey down the left field line and a RBI triple by Baltzell to the wall in right that scored junior Katie Shinrock/Fountain Valley, Calif. (1-2, 1 run), who had legged out a bunt single in the previous at-bat. Gardner-Webb rallied in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with three hits before Kellie Beres drove in a pair of runs to pull the home team within one, but Morris forced two groundouts to secure the 4-3 victory.