FARMVILLE, Va. – Through the first two games of Longwood's series against Presbyterian, the Blue Hose has yet to find a way to slow Longwood's dynamic duo of Megan Baltzell and Chelsea Sciacca.

The senior duo of Baltzell and Sciacca combined to rake five home runs and two doubles in going 7-of-10 at the plate, as the Lancers and Blue Hose split Saturday's doubleheader with PC taking the first contest, 10-9, in extra innings and Longwood winning the second game, 8-2.

"Throughout the day, I thought we did a real nice job of staying involved in the game and kept the energy level where we needed to have a chance to play well," said head coach Kathy Riley. "Obviously, Megan and Chelsea did a good job of leading us offensively and setting the tone for us.

Baltzell added to her totals with three home runs on a 3-of-3 day with four walks, as she became the first Longwood player to hit 60 career home runs. Her two home runs in the first game marks the third time this season that the senior has had a multi-home run day, as she posted two home runs against NC State and Fordham earlier in the campaign.

"I was just trying to get something going today for my team," Baltzell said. "Unfortunately, we lost a tough battle in that first game, but in the second game we did a good job of keeping the gas pedal on and hitting the ball like we're used to."

Meanwhile, Sciacca – who came into the day batting .284 – had a big day at the plate with two home runs of her own in the first game of the day and two doubles in the second game. The Whittier, Calif., native raised her batting average to .309 by day's end, which is second on the team.

"Chelsea is a streaky hitter and when she's at her best she's really difficult to get out," Riley said.

Elizabeth McCarthy (7-8) went 1-1 on the day after falling in the first game despite matching her career-high of 10 strikeouts for the second time in three games while tossing a career-best 171 pitches. The sophomore was sent back to the circle for the second game and picked up the victory, allowing two runs in seven innings.

The Presbyterian series marks the third straight series that the Lancers have split the opening two games, as the two teams are set to play a pivotal rubber-match Sunday at 1 p.m.

Presbyterian 10, Longwood 9 (8)
Longwood and Presbyterian combined for eight home runs in the first game of the day, as the Blue Hose earned a 10-9 victory in extra innings. The loss drops the Lancers to 0-5 in games decided in extra innings.

Baltzell and Sciacca paced the Lancer offense with two home runs each. Augustine also added a solo blast, as the squad hit a season-high five dingers in the game. Baltzell was 2-for-2 at the plate with two shots to center field, while also drawing a walk in her other two plate appearances.

Presbyterian – who came into the weekend as the top hitting team in the Big South – had three home runs of their own to post a come-from-behind victory. Eight of the nine starters for the Blue Hose starters recorded at least one hit, while Erin Taylor went 3-for-4 with four RBI.

"Presbyterian did a really good job of being aggressive at the plate," Riley said. "That's really what made the difference, because it wasn't easy to get anybody out. Credit goes to them for attacking all eight innings."

Kensley Loudermelk (9-3) earned the win for Presbyterian after coming to pitch 1.2 scoreless innings in relief, while fanning two Lancer batters. Sydney Seigler made the start for PC and lasted two innings after allowing four runs, all of which were earned, on three hits and a walk.

McCarthy took the loss for the second straight game, giving up a career-high 10 runs on 14 hits and two walks. The southpaw also matched her career-high of 10 strikeouts for the second time in her last three appearances, while throwing a career-best 171 pitches.

"I thought Biz pitched well in that first game," Riley said. "She had 10 strikeouts, but she missed her spot a couple times and they were able to capitalize on those mistakes."

The Lancers took an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, thanks to a three-run homer off the bat of Sciacca. Emily Murphy, 1-for-4 with two runs scored, notched a one out single up the middle and Baltzell drew her first walk of the game. That brought Sciacca to the plate and she ripped the first pitch she saw over the wall in straight away center.

Longwood added to its lead in the third inning with a solo blast from Justina Augustine and an RBI single off the bat of Kelsey Sweeney.
McCarthy appeared to be her usual dominant self in the first three innings, as she retired nine of the first 10 batters with six strikeouts.

However, Presbyterian was able to chip away at the Longwood advantage with three runs of their own in the top of the fourth inning on five hits. Jenna Harris recorded the first of four straight base hits for the Blue Hose and came around to score one batter later off an RBI single from Shelby Petik.

Longwood regained an insurance run in the home half of the inning after Baltzell raked the first of two home runs in the game and three on the day to give her squad a 6-3 advantage.

Presbyterian scored two runs in the sixth and added four in the seventh inning to take a 9-6 advantage. Kersten Legacki clubbed a two-run shot to left field in the sixth to draw her squad within a run, before first baseman Erin Taylor provided a three-run bomb in the top of the seventh to give the Blue Hose their first lead of the day.

However, the Lancers had a response of their own in the home half of the inning. After Murphy reached on a fielder's choice, Baltzell recorded a moonshot to straight away center field to bring the Lancers within a run. Sciacca followed with her second of the day to tie the game and send the contest into extra innings.

Coming into the game batting .064 on the season, Presbyterian's Jordan Ashley recorded a round-tripper in the top of the inning to regain the lead for the Blue Hose. That provided the difference, as Loudermelk pitched a perfect eighth to seal the win.

Longwood 8, Presbyterian 2
The heart of the Longwood lineup provided the offense in the second game, as the Lancers bounced back with an 8-2 victory. The trio of Murphy, Baltzell and Sciacca combined to go 4-for-7 with a home run, triple and two doubles.

McCarthy picked up the win, allowing two earned runs on five hits in seven complete innings of work. She added to her strikeout totals, as she fanned a total of five Presbyterian batters.

Loudermelk (9-4) took the loss for PC, giving up six runs on four hits and three walks in three innings.

After using the long ball in the opening game of the day, the Lancers took a 1-0 lead in the home half of the first. Baltzell, the third batter of the game, drew a two-out walk and Sciacca delivered the first of her two doubles to bring home Baltzell from first base.

"I'm real pleased with how we came back after that first game," Riley said. "After you lose a game like that, it's real easy to not come back as strong, but I thought we mentally prepared ourselves to come back and compete for another seven innings."

The Lancers batted around in the second inning, scoring five runs to take a commanding six run lead. After Glenn Walters scored on a bunt single from Casey Lifsey, Murphy provided the big hit of the inning with a bases-loaded triple to the wall in left center field that cleared the bases.

Presbyterian answered with a run in the third, but McCarthy responded by retiring nine of the next 11 batters she faced. This included a double play ball to end the sixth inning after Shelby Petik grounded back to McCarthy to start a 1-6-3 double play.

After Murphy was able to draw a one-out walk in the bottom of the inning, Baltzell hit her third homer of the day to straight away center field to give her squad a comfortable 8-1 lead.

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