BOONE, N.C. – Two late-game rallies lifted Appalachian State to a doubleheader sweep over Longwood Saturday afternoon, 3-2 and 8-6, at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium but did little to derail Longwood baseball's historic 2016 season and optimistic postseason outlook.
Despite the losses, the Lancers (30-25) end the regular season tied for second place in the conference and with the their first 30-win campaign of the Division I era. Before the games Saturday, Longwood locked up the Big South's No. 3 seed in the conference tournament due to a conference loss by Gardner-Webb, which dropped Gardner-Webb to 14-10 in league play, tied with the Lancers and High Point Panthers. The Lancers open the 2016 Big South Championship with their highest seed since joining the league four years ago and will face No. 6 seed Winthrop Tuesday 45 minutes after the conclusion of the tournament opener between No. 2 High Point and No. 7 Liberty that begins at 9:30 a.m.
Longwood's final tuneup before the postseason was the three-game non-conference series at Appalachian State, which the Mountaineers swept following the narrow wins Saturday and 9-2 win Friday in a game that was delayed for nearly 24 hours due to fog. Mountaineer shortstop Matt Vernon continued his hot streak, driving in a combined four runs in the two-game set. Outfielder Brian Bauk added two RBI in Saturday's nightcap.
Game One: Apalachian State 3, Longwood 2
In the first of two seven-inning games, Matt Vernon's walk-off single lifted Appalachian State over Longwood 3-2 in the eighth inning Saturday afternoon at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Vernon finished the game 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI, a solo home run and the winning RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning, the first extra-inning frame Saturday.
In the loss
Colton Konvicka, Longwood's senior center fielder, finished the game 2-for-3 and scored the game-tying run in the seventh inning on
Drew Kitson's lone hit, a pinch-hit RBI single. Senior first baseman
Connar Bastaich also had a pair of hits in the game one loss.
Reed Howell (6-2) picked up the win with 2.1 innings out of the bullpen and allowed one run in the relief appearance.
Cody Boydstun (1-3) was hit with the loss after tossing one-third of an inning.
Game Two: Appalachian State 8, Longwood 6
Behind two RBI apiece from Matt Vernon and Brian Bauk, Appalachian State built an 8-3 lead and held off a ninth-inning rally to cap a doubleheader sweep over Longwood with an 8-6 win in game three Saturday night.
Vernon drove in multiple runs for the third straight game, sending in one with a sacrifice fly in the third and another with a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth. Bauk sent in his RBI with a single and a sac fly.
Appalachian State starter Colin Schmid spun a gem, holding the Lancers to three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits over 8.0 innings. The Lancers finally got to the Mountaineers after Schmid exited, scoring three runs before freshman reliever Stephen Schoch induced the final out.
Connar Bastaich paced the Lancers at the plate with three hits and a pair of RBI, while
Michael Osinski added two hits and an RBI and slugger
Alex Lewis doubled and scored twice.
The Lancers enjoy a pair of days off from action before beginning their 2016 tournament run in Lexington, S.C., Tuesday. The Lancers will face No. 6 seed Winthrop Tuesday, approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the tournament opener between No. 2 High Point and No. 7 Liberty that begins at 9:30 a.m.
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