FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood senior Aaron Myers set a pair of school records for single game and career strikeouts along with a personal best with his 14 strikeouts Friday night, but North Carolina A&T played spoiler to an otherwise memorable night as the Aggies rode strong pitching of their own to a 5-2 series opening victory.
 
It took Myers (3-6) all of two innings and four batters to get the trio of strikeouts the ace needed to hit 259, the magic mark to break Longwood's career-record. On his 19th pitch of the evening and with a 1-2 count to the leadoff man in the second, Myers dropped a breaking ball in the dirt, getting Kyle Clary to chase over it for the record-breaking strikeout.
 
The right-hander was not done at just one record on the night, however, as Myers ran off another 11 punchouts, including striking out the side in a pair of innings, to tie the Longwood single-game record of 14 strikeouts. Unfortunately, it was yet another tough loss for one of the most prolific pitchers in Longwood history, as Myers took the defeat despite his seventh quality start of the season.
 
"What an outstanding record to hold," said head coach Ryan Mau of Myers taking over the career mark. "It's a tribute to all the hard work he's put in over his entire career. It was great to see him get that ovation from his teammates and the fans."
 
Even with Myers blowing away records on the mound, North Carolina A&T (4-28) was able to create just enough offense to spoil the party for the Lancers. The Aggies capitalized on an error and a balk to push across two runs in the fifth to break a 2-2 deadlock and establish a lead they would not relinquish.
 
Brian Poag (1-4) was a big part of the Aggies Friday night victory as the right-hander four-hit the Lancers in his first complete game of the season. Poag struck out just four in the game but was able to keep the Longwood bats off-balance all night long, resulting in several weak ground balls and fly outs.
 
"I'm disappointed in the way we came out tonight," said Mau. "I thought we lacked focus and obviously lacked execution offensively."
 
Pushed back an hour due to thunderstorms in the area, the game got off to an auspicious start for the blue and white as Longwood (14-18) raced out to an early 1-0 lead with a run in the bottom of the first.
 
Myers struck out a pair in the first, sitting the Aggies down in order to open the game, before Colton Konvicka led off with a double to left center in the bottom half. A sacrifice bunt from Connar Bastaich moved the center fielder to third before Kyri Washington brought home Konvicka with an RBI single. The base knock extended Washington's hit-streak to a season-high seven games.
 
Myers would strike out the side in the top half of the second, including the record-breaking 259th strikeout of his illustrious career. Things seemed to be going just as planned for the blue and white, that is, until the third inning when NC A&T broke through.
 
A leadoff single followed by a walk set the table for the Aggies who would score one run on a bloop-single off the handle of the bat from leading hitter Brandon Wilkerson. A&T would take the lead a batter later on a perfectly executed squeeze to the right side.
 
Yet, the Lancers responded quickly, tying the game at 2-2 in their half of the third, capitalizing on an Aggie error. C.J. Roth walked to open the inning and stole second before advancing to third on a ground ball from Bastaich. The ball ricocheted off the foot of the Aggie shortstop to put two on with just one out. A batter later, Kyri Washington delivered his second RBI of the night with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Roth.
 
From that point on, the Longwood bats fell silent, as Poag allowed just two hits and one walk in the final six innings. His strong work allowed A&T to capitalize on a pair of Longwood miscues in the fifth, leading to the eventual winning runs.
 
A one-out infield single marked a pedestrian start to the big inning, but a balk quickly advanced the Aggie runner to second. Myers bounced back with a strikeout for the second out, but Wilkerson returned to the plate and produced another big hit, lacing a double which landed squarely in the middle of the left field line to score the go-ahead run. After an error extended the inning, the Aggies added another on a bases-loaded walk.
 
A&T would add a final insurance marker in the top of the eighth, making the finish all the more comfortable for Poag. The right-hander secured his first win of the season by retiring the final nine Lancers he faced, providing the finishing touches on a tough result in an otherwise historic night.
 
Now the Lancers turn their attention to Saturday and evening the series. For coach Mau, that starts with a better effort at the plate.
 
"Tomorrow we'll look to bounce back with a lot more focus and determination offensively to produce quality at-bats," said Mau.
 
Longwood and North Carolina A&T continue the series with a 4 p.m. first pitch Saturday before concluding the series on Sunday with a 1:30 p.m.  finale.

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