Big South Tournament Bracket | Radio Highlights | Photo Gallery

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – A 13-run fourth inning highlighted by four home runs lifted Longwood to a 15-2 run-rule victory over Gardner-Webb to open the Big South Conference Tournament Thursday afternoon at Amanda Littlejohn Stadium.

The 15 runs for the Lancers is the most scored in a Big South Tournament game since the 2003 season and is the third most all-time in the conference tournament. In addition, the 13-run fourth inning marked the most runs scored in a single inning by the Lancers this season.

"This team for the past month has really done a good job of putting in that trust and sacrifice for each other," head coach Kathy Riley said. "It's really that calmness and trust in each other that helps us play like we did this afternoon."

After hitting nine home runs in Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Radford, the Lancers hit six home runs in Thursday's game against the Runnin' Bulldogs. Four of those six home runs came in the huge fourth inning, including a grand slam off the bat of Megan Baltzell and back-to-back-to-back blasts from Glenn Walters, Carly Adams and Kelsey Sweeney.

Baltzell, the 2014 and 2015 Big South Player of the Year, led the way with two home runs as she went 3-for-4 at the plate with seven RBI. She was one of five different Lancers to notch a multi-hit game, along with Justina Augustine (2-for-4), Chelsea Sciacca (2-for-3), Glenn Walters (2-for-3) and Carly Adams (3-for-3).

"I started off the game a little too excited in my first at-bat," Baltzell said. "After that, I just tried to settle down, relax and make good swings."

With Baltzell's two blasts, she passes Louisiana-Lafayette Lexie Elkins in the NCAA home run race this season with 26 blasts. Baltzell is seeking her second home run title in three seasons after notching 30 bombs during the 2013 campaign.

Libby Morris (7-7) picked up her seventh win of the season, tossing five complete innings. She allowed two run on six hits and three walks.
Longwood took a 2-1 lead to the fourth inning after Sciacca went deep in the second inning and Baltzell hit her first of two blasts an inning later.

Following a strikeout from Walters to leadoff the fourth, 11 straight Lancers reached base safely. Longwood would send 17 batters to the plate during the inning. Baltzell came to the plate the first time in the inning with the bases loaded and crushed the first pitch she saw over the wall in left field.

Following an Emily Murphy base hit to left field and a Sciacca single through the right side, Walters stepped up and hit her fourth home run in four games to straight away center. The blast was the first of three round-trippers as Adams followed with her first of the season followed by Kelsey Sweeney's fourth blast.

Gardner-Webb opened the game with their first three batters each reaching base, as Kellie Beres and Megan Gibbons each notched a pair of singles. Morris walked Rachel Cumiskey to load the bases, but Scarlett Harris grounded out into a force play that saw Adams gun out Beres at the plate, before Amanda Gomes lined out to Shinrock at third base.

The inning would end after Augustine threw out Cumiskey at the plate, but Gibbons scored before on the play to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
Morris settled down nicely following the opening inning, getting nine of the next 11 hitters she faced out. She allowed just one hit in the three innings.

"I was so pumped up, because this is my last conference tournament," Morris said. "I was throwing hard, but the ball wasn't ending up in places it shouldn't have. I settled down, spun the ball more and didn't try to overpower them as much."

With the win, the top-seeded Lancers will face fifth-seeded Charleston Southern Friday. The game is set for a 2 p.m. start from Amanda Littlejohn Stadium.

"Tomorrow's game should come down to how we handle ourselves at the plate," Riley said. "If we make Jennifer Giles work hard and we swing at the right pitches, it should be a good day."

#WoodYouBelieve