Box Score CONWAY, S.C. – Junior
Katie Shinrock/Fountain Valley, Calif. went 2-for-4 at the plate with one run scored, as the No. 2 seeded Longwood University softball team dropped a 5-2 decision against No. 7 Charleston Southern University (24-31) in the first round of the 2014 Big South Conference Championship in Conway, S.C. on Thursday evening. Sophomore
Carly Adams/Colonial Heights added to the Lancers' offensive effort, hitting .333 with the team's lone RBI in the outing. Junior
Libby Morris/Dillwyn and freshman
Elizabeth McCarthy/Dunnsville split time in the circle, combining for two strikeouts, 10 hits and five earned runs. CSU will advance to square off against No. 6 Presbyterian on Friday, May 9 at 4:30 p.m. Longwood (38-15) will now meet in-state rival Radford in an elimination game on Friday at 11:30 a.m.
"I thought today was a typical matchup in a conference tournament situation," said head coach
Kathy Riley. "Whether you're the No. 2 seed or the No. 7 seed, it doesn't really matter because each team is here to play their hardest. Charleston Southern played better than we did today. They strung hits together at the right time and played hard the whole game. I felt like we made an adjustment to their pitcher after the second inning and did a pretty good job with our at-bats, giving us a chance to get people on. Our biggest problem has been the same all year. We've struggled to complete the play or get that big hit after we get people on base, and that's the reason why we lost today."
Charleston Southern jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first, putting its leadoff runner aboard with an infield single before Stephanie Bermann sent a slow roller down the first base line and won a foot race to the bag to score the Buccaneers' first run of the day. Stevi Johnson followed with a two-RBI home run to straight-away center field, giving CSU the 3-0 advantage. In the Lancers' first at-bat, Shinrock led off with a base hit through the right side, stole second and would score on the same play thanks to an errant throw by the opposing catcher and a misplayed ball by the center fielder, making the score, 3-1. Neither side was able to plate a run in the second nor third, as Charleston Southern left a runner stranded in each of the two innings and Shinrock was left on for Longwood in the third after reaching on a two-out bunt single.
McCarthy came out of the bullpen in relief for the Lancers in the top of the fourth, retiring the CSU side in order with a pair of popups and a strikeout. Longwood carried the momentum into their next at-bat when junior
Chelsea Sciacca/Whittier, Calif. (1-3) got things started with a base hit before moving up on a sacrifice bunt. Freshman
Jenna Carnes/Six Mile, S.C. (1 run) was put in to pinch run for Sciacca and Adams connected for a single through the right side to plate the run, cutting the difference to just one at 3-2. Freshman
Justina Augustine/Warrenton (1-2) drew a two-out walk and sophomore
Jamie Barbour/Amelia (1-3) chopped a single up the middle to load the bases, although the Lancers were unable to manufacture any more runs. Longwood played another solid inning of defense in the fifth, but once again left runners in scoring position after junior
Megan Baltzell/Stafford (0-2) was intentionally walked and sophomore
Emily Murphy/Virginia Beach (0-4) reached on a fielder's choice to keep the one-run buffer intact.
The Buccaneers added two runs on three hits, including a two-out, two-RBI single to left center to pull away, 5-2, in the top of the sixth. Augustine and senior
Amy Putnam/Poquoson (0-2) got aboard for the Lancers in the home half of the inning with a single and fielder's choice, respectively, but the team was unable to capitalize. Neither side would plate a run in its final at-bat, as CSU held on to take the 5-2 upset.
