GREENSBORO, N.C. – The red-hot Longwood softball team rode back-to-back dominant starts from sophomore Sydney Gay and a career day at the plate from junior Krista Kelly to a doubleheader sweep of George Washington, 11-2, and UNC Greensboro, 4-0, on the final day of the UNCG Invitational Sunday afternoon at UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
Winners of four of their past five games, the Lancers (5-8) won the UNCG Invitational with a 3-1 record thanks to Gay (5-3), who fired a combined 12.0 innings of two-run ball Sunday en route to her fifth consecutive win.
 
The reigning Big South Tournament MVP and an All-Big South second team pick as a freshman, Gay opened the day by scattering four hits across 5.0 innings in the win over George Washington (3-6) and capped the two-day tournament by tossing her sixth career shutout with a seven-inning blanking of UNC Greensboro (7-5). She totaled 11 strikeouts on the day while dropping her season ERA to 1.98, the lowest in the Big South.
 
"We took a step forward today with some very good all-around softball," said Longwood head coach Kathy Riley, who earned her 700th career win Saturday before guiding the Lancers to their twinbill sweep Sunday. "We were good on the mound with Sydney and Tex [Sydney Mundell], who did a very good job handling pressure with runners on base."
 
Gay kept the Lancers in both games, as the Lancer offense came alive late to score all 15 of their runs over the final three innings of each game. Keying that game one win over George Washington at the plate was Kelly, who hit her first career home run as part of a career-high five-RBI day in the 11-2 win. Game two saw the Longwood offense come alive late yet again, as Karleigh Donovan broke open a scoreless game with a two-out RBI single in the top of the fifth, and Jessica Smith sparked a three-run rally in the sixth with an RBI fielder's choice.
 
"It was encouraging to see us get more hits, which helped our confidence," Riley said. "We still have to approach tomorrow's with renewed passion for getting better."
 
Game One: Longwood 11, George Washington 2
 
Krista Kelly picked a good time for her first career home run.
 
The junior utility player launched her first bomb in a Longwood uniform as part of a career-high five-RBI effort that sent the Lancers to an 11-2 win over George Washington in their first game of the day Sunday afternoon at the UNCG Invitational at UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
Kelly's three-run homer came as part of a six-run fifth inning that broke open a scoreless game and propelled Longwood to its fourth win in the past six games. Kelly finished 2-for-4, adding a two-run single in a five-run sixth inning, to back another dominant effort from All-Big South pitcher Sydney Gay, who tossed 5.0 innings of four-hit, two-run ball before redshirt junior Sydney Mundell finished off the win with a hitless inning out of the bullpen.
 
The win was the fourth straight for Gay, who also pitched Longwood to a 4-3 win over George Washington Saturday. After holding the Colonials to just two earned runs Sunday, the reigning Big South Tournament MVP extended a streak in
 
has now surrendered two earned runs or fewer and gone the distance in four consecutive starts.
 
Longwood catcher Kaylynn Batten added two RBI, both on a two-run single in the top of the sixth, while outfielder Jordan Clark also drove in a run and Haleigh Kilby sent in another with a pinch-hit, bases-loaded walk.
 
All six runs Longwood scored off George Washington starter Jayme Cone (0-1) were unearned after a two-out error extended the inning. The Lancers then touched up reliever Ashley Pilcher for five runs – four earned – over the game's final two innings.
 
Game Two: Longwood 4, UNCG 0
 
Sydney Gay continued her dominance on the mound with a seven-inning shutout, leading the Lancers to their second win of the day, 4-0, over host UNCG in their second game of the day at the UNCG Invitational.
 
Gay was dominant from the start, tossing a no-hitter into the sixth inning and finished with seven strikeouts, one walk and just two hits allowed. The Spartans advanced just two runners past first base against the sophomore right-hander, who needed just 86 pitches to carve up a UNCG lineup that touched up Longwood for seven runs in a 7-2 win on day one of the tournament Saturday.
 
With Gay locked in on the mound, the Lancers went to work in the top of the sixth inning and took the lead for good on a two-out RBI single from redshirt sophomore infielder Karleigh Donovan. That go-ahead single preempted a big seventh inning in which senior Justina Augustine jump-started a three-run rally with a full-count single up the middle and came around to score on an RBI fielder's choice from Kaylynn Batten, who went 3-for-6 on the day to bring her team-leading batting average to .364 on the season.
 
Lancer senior first baseman Kelsey Sweeney added an RBI later in that inning to drive in her fourth run of the season.
 
The UNCG Invitational marks the close of a 13-game road swing to start the season for Longwood and precedes the Lancers' home-opening series against Hofstra beginning with a noon doubleheader on March 4. That three-game set will be Longwood's last home series until hosting Towson on March 22-23, prior to which the Lancers will head to the west coast to take part in the Louisville Slugger Invitational where they will face a gauntlet that includes No. 6 UCLA, Cal State Fullerton, Eastern Michigan, Harvard and San Diego State.
 
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