FARMVILLE, VA. – Jon Peterson's go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning continued Longwood's propensity for late-inning magic and clinched a 7-6 comeback win for Longwood to seal a sweep of Savannah State Sunday afternoon at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
Longwood (22-15, 7-5 Big South) won all three games of the series, but didn't find much separation from Savannah State (9-28, 4-8 MEAC) as the Lancers were tied or trailing in the seventh inning of each game. Longwood won the final two games by one run each and improved to 10-3 in games decided by one run on the season.
"We did a good job finding a way to close one out, but it wasn't easy," Longwood head coach
Ryan Mau said after his team picked up its fourth three-game sweep of the season. "I thought Savannah State really competed and wouldn't go away. I thought we had some opportunities early in the game today, but we missed some opportunities early in the game and let them hang around too long.
"Winning these close games is going to pay off for us and I think it's already paid off for us. We don't press. We've been in these situations and we do a great job handling pressure late in the game and there's a lot to be said about that."
Peterson came up with the game-winning hit Sunday, the second hit of the series for the freshman, who entered all three games as a late-inning substitution. Before Peterson's game-winning pinch hit, the Lancers made five offensive substitutions in the bottom two spots in the order.
"We were just trying to find the right matchup for what the guy on the mound had," Mau said. "I thought
James Barry put on a good at-bat, but obviously
Jon Peterson did it again."
With the Lancers trailing 6-5 with two outs in the eighth inning of the series finale, the Lancaster, Pa., native sprayed a 1-1 pitch to the opposite field in left and drove in the tying and winning runs of the game. Peterson finished the series 2-for-5 with his first collegiate home run and his first five RBI. The home run was a three-run blast that extended Longwood's lead to four in the seventh inning of game one.
"What a weekend for him," Mau said. "It says a lot about him as a freshman to step up in two pressure-cooker situations and deliver us two wins basically single-handedly off his bat. I'm really excited for him. He deserves this success."
Longwood had a great series at the plate with 22 runs scored on 35 hits with 23 walks drawn. There were 11 multi-hit performances in the three games by Lancer hitters. Three hitters had multiple-hit games Sunday as
Connar Bastaich and
Carlos Garrido each had three hits and
Alex Lewis had a pair of hits in the sweep-clinching victory.
"[Bastaich] has been swinging the bat extremely well, which is why he's been hitting in the three-hole for us," Mau said. "[Lewis] cooled off a little bit, but I'm glad he started to find it again today. Those guys are the nucleus of our offense and for us to put up the runs we want to put up they're going to have to be key contributors."
Bastaich was a man on a mission in the three games, picking up eight hits in the three games, all multi-hit games. Bastaich was 3-for-5 with three RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base Sunday. The multi-hit game was the fifth consecutive multi-hit game for the senior first baseman, bringing him to a team-best 15 games with two or more hits. In the five-game stretch Bastaich is hitting .500 (12-for-24) with seven RBI, three runs scored, one double, and his first stolen base of the season.
Michael Catlin (3-0) picked up the win after tossing 2.1 scoreless innings for Longwood. The southpaw allowed one baserunner, a single, and struck out a pair of batters. Justin Washington (0-2) was hit with the loss after surrendering the go-ahead two-run single in the eighth. Washington allowed two runs on five hits with a strikeout and one walk in 3.0 innings out of the bullpen.
Luke Simpson received no decision for Longwood, but spun his second quality start of the season. The junior held Savannah State to three runs, two earned, and spread eight hits and three walks across 6.0 innings with three strikeouts. Longwood improved to 12-1 in games when its starter records a quality start.
"I think [Simpson] is working his way back," Mau said. "He's getting stronger every outing. I thought he had a little bit of a slower start, but then he really picked it up later on. I thought he looked good today."
The start for Simpson was his best outing since the junior tossed 8.0 innings and allowed three earned runs with seven strikeouts against Hofstra March 13.
At the plate Lewis picked up his 14th multiple-hit game of the season with a 2-for-3 day. Lewis doubled, drew a pair of walks, and picked up his team-leading 33rd RBI.
Joining Bastaich and Lewis with multiple hits Sunday was Garrido, who was 3-for-4 with a run scored. The three-hit performance set a new career high for the freshman backstop.
Longwood's win tied the team's win total in 2015 when the Lancers finished 22-34. The 22 wins for the Lancers come with 18 regular season games remaining.
Longwood's victory Sunday improved the Lancers to 17-5 in games played at Buddy Bolding Stadium. The 17 home wins are the most by a Longwood squad since the 2011 squad won 17 at home. The most wins at home in the Division-I ERA (since 2008) for a Longwood team is 18, set by the 2010 Lancers.
The victory for Catlin was his third consecutive winning decision. The sophomore left-hander picked up the win a day after turning 20.
Longwood plays a fourth consecutive game against a MEAC opponent when the Lancers travel to face N.C. Central Tuesday before returning to conference play against Campbell in a weekend set that begins Friday. The N.C. Central Eagles bested Longwood, 7-4, April 5 in Farmville. First pitch in Durham, N.C., at Durham Athletic Park is set for 6 p.m.
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