FARMVILLE, VA. – The eighth wild pitch of a wild game between Longwood and VMI allowed Sammy Miller to score the winning run as Longwood prevailed, 10-9, in the bottom of the 11th inning, and capped off a game filled with oddities Wednesday night at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
 
After trailing by as many as five runs as late as the bottom of the sixth inning, Longwood (15-11, 3-3 Big South) rallied for three in the sixth to bring the game within two runs, and scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game. Miller reached on a walk to start the home half of inning number 11, moved to second on a single by C.J. Roth, got to third on a wild pitch, and scored the winning run on a second wild pitch by Eric Byrd (0-1), who took the loss for VMI (15-14, 1-2 SoCon).
 
"The guys just wouldn't go away," Longwood head coach Ryan Mau said after his team pulled out a victory for the second time in 2016 when trailing after eight innings. "They've been playing that way all year long. When we're down, we're not out, that's the mindset we have. The confidence we've had from a few wins late in the game over the past couple of weeks has really helped us."
 
Longwood trailed 7-2 after a pair of runs scored for VMI in the top of the fourth inning. It was the largest deficit of the season for the Lancers in a game they went on to win.
 
"When we were down we talked about not throwing away at-bats, we talked about finding a way to grab 90 feet at a time, and that's what got things going for us and kept closing the gap," Mau said.
 
The Lancers cut into the deficit in the sixth inning with three runs after Connar Bastaich, Hayes Nelson, and Drew Kitson were each hit with pitches to start the half inning. Longwood eventually tied the game in the ninth on a four-run rally that was helped by two errors, the latter committed when Bastaich hit a high fly ball to shallow right field that was dropped. Roth, who reached on an error, scored from third, and Michael Osinski, who singled two batters earlier, scored the tying run from second base.
 
The Lancers walked off for the fourth time in 2016 and won both of their mid-week games against in-state competition after beating Norfolk State, 11-9, Tuesday. The win also clinched a season sweep of the Keydets for Longwood.
 
At the plate Longwood compiled a total of 10 hits, four from Bastaich and Osinski. Each hitter had two hits, each with a single and a double. The double for Osinski was his team-leading 10th of the season. Bastaich reached base safely a team-best three times in a 2-for-4 game.
 
"[Bastaich] had some good swings," Mau said. "He even took advantage of the dropped fly ball in the ninth. He's had good at-bats for us all year long and it's been fun to watch."
 
Bastaich scored two runs and put the ball into play that was dropped and propelled the game to extras.
 
Many odd statistics stood out after the dust settled in Wednesday's marathon matchup. Six errors were committed by the two teams, there were two passed balls, and a total of nine stolen bases. The Lancers and Keydets played a game that lasted four hours and 37 minutes, utilized 16 pitchers to throw 394 pitches, and featured eight wild pitches.
 
The 16 pitchers combined to hit eight batters, three of which were hit by VMI relief pitcher TJ Lighton. The righty plunked Bastaich, Nelson, and Kitson in succession to load the bases with no outs to begin the sixth inning and left the ballgame without recording an out. Lighton was one of two VMI pitchers to not record an out, as Kyle Staats was pulled after allowing a single and a walk to begin the bottom of the ninth.
 
"Not off the top of my head can I think of a game I've been a part of that would compare to tonight," Mau said. "That's one of the crazier games I've been a part of, but we're just glad to be on the winning side of this one."
 
Multiple weekend starters were used for both teams, including Longwood's entire weekend rotation. Sunday starter Luke Simpson recorded a pair of outs in the fourth inning in relief for Wednesday's starter, Tyler Wirsu. Saturday starter Steven Farkas ended the fourth with a strikeout and pitched perfect fifth and sixth innings, retiring all seven batters he faced. The Friday night starter, Travis Burnette, entered the game in the seventh inning and tossed 29 pitches across 1.1 innings of relief in which he allowed one unearned run.
 
"From a pitching perspective we turned it over to some of our key weekend arms and top-end relievers," Mau said.  "In that back half of the ballgame I thought we did a really good job on the mound. It gave us a chance to rally."
 
After VMI scored seven of its nine runs in the first four trips to the plate for the Keydets, Longwood kept VMI without an earned run the rest of the way. The Lancers combined to throw 8.0 innings with three runs, one earned, from its bullpen arms in the win.
 
The back-end bullpen arms were utilized as heavily as the weekend starters in Longwood's bullpen against VMI. Ryan Jones, who picked up the save in Longwood's win Tuesday, struck out the only two batters he faced, ending the eighth inning. Devin Gould, who is tied with Jones for second on the team with two saves, pitched the ninth and 10th innings with one unearned run allowed. Cody Boydstun (1-2), the team leader in saves with four, pitched the final inning and became the winning pitcher when the Lancers walked off in the bottom of the 11th.
 
The game started with a wacky pitching situation. VMI starter, Nathan Eaton, is a right-handed pitcher and an infielder. The freshman started the day as a pitcher/designated hitter. Eaton led off the game for VMI, singled and scored in the Keydets' two-run first and stepped to the mound with a lead he helped create. Eaton finished with no decision after allowing two runs, one earned, in 3.2 innings and continued to hit after being taken off the mound. At the plate Eaton was 1-for-6.
 
The Lancers wrapped up a six-game stretch against in-state competition and five-game homestand Wednesday. The Lancers improved to 6-3 against teams from the state of Virginia and went 5-1 in the six home games. Longwood is 14-4 at home and 3-1 in extra-inning games after securing the fourth walk-off win of the season. Longwood is 7-2 in games decided by one run and takes momentum into the weekend with back-to-back victories.
 
"Before the week started we talked about these two mid-week games and trying to get momentum back on our side as we roll into Charleston Southern this weekend," Mau said. "It wasn't necessarily the prettiest two days of baseball, but I'm proud of the way we competed and ultimately got it done."
 
The Lancers return to conference play with a three-game series at Charleston Southern. Longwood hits the road for a weekend series against the Buccaneers in Charleston, S.C., that will take place Saturday, Sunday, and Monday due to inclement weather in the area Thursday and Friday. First pitch Saturday is set for 4 p.m.

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