WILMINGTON, N.C. – Cody Wager dominated UNC Wilmington hitters with a career-high 10 strikeouts in Longwood's game one win, 5-3, but a late rally for UNCW off the Longwood bullpen in game two forced a split of the doubleheader as UNCW got the win, 11-1, and took the three-game series Saturday afternoon at Brooks Field.
 
Wager (2-2) and Tyler Wirsu (0-2) each tossed quality starts as the pitching staff for Longwood (6-11) struck out 19 batters at UNCW (5-9) between the two games. Longwood pitching struck out 30 batters in the three games at UNCW.
 
Antwaun Tucker finished Saturday with four hits across the two games, including a triple and a double. The freshman outfielder upped his batting average to .293 for the season.

Justin Mitchell went 1-for-4 in game one and drew a walk in game two, extending his season-long reached base streak to 17 games. Michael Osinski led the way for Longwood with three RBI in the two games, picking up a hit in each and rolling his hitting streak to nine games.
 
For UNCW Robbie Thorburn went off for four hits between the two games and four RBI, including a three-RBI effort in game two. The senior outfielder entered the day with four RBI on the season.

"We figured some things out about ourselves on this very lengthy road swing," Longwood head coach Ryan Mau said. "When we get quality starting pitching and play clean defensively, we'll be in a position to win a lot of games."
 
The Lancers went 4-4 on their eight-game, 11-day road trip. Longwood returns to Farmville and opens a four-game homestand that leads into the conference opener against Charleston Southern on Friday. The Lancers host St. Joseph's Wednesday for a 5 p.m. first pitch at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
 
Game One
 
Wager put together the best start in his two years at Longwood, striking out a career-high 10 UNCW batters, as Longwood took the first game of the doubleheader, 5-3.

"Wager was spectacular and the bullpen did its job," Mau said. "We played very good defense and executed offensively. It was good to put all three phases together and grab a road win against a very good team."
 
Longwood got a stellar performance from the senior right-hander as he struck out 10 batters across 7.1 innings of two-run ball in Longwood's game one win against UNCW. Michael Catlin picked up the save, his first of the season, getting the final two outs of the game on a double play.
 
Wager, who won both of his starts on the road trip, became the first Lancer starter with multiple wins. As the senior right-hander worked into the eighth inning, it was the deepest a starter has gone into a ballgame this season. It was the third quality start of the season for Longwood.
 
Wager issued just one walk and allowed six hits in the win. Both runs allowed were on solo home runs.
 
The Lancers picked up their fifth 10-hit game in the last six games, led by a 3-for-4 game by Tucker. Five Lancers finished with multi-hit games as Osinski, Alex Lewis, Brandon Harvell and Ryan Shull joined Tucker. Osinski finished 2-for-4 with three RBI.

"Offensively, our young guys are settling in and we are putting together strings of quality at bats," Mau said. "What matters most is that we continue trending the right way as we head into conference play next week."
 
Longwood struck first with back-to-back hits by Tucker and Osinski in the first inning. Tucker tripled with one out in the Longwood half of the first, his third triple of the road trip. Osinski followed up with a clean single to give Longwood the 1-0 lead.
 
Longwood and UNCW traded blows in the middle innings with a solo homer by Thorburn in the home half of the second inning and a fielder's choice off the bat of Nate Blakeney that allowed Longwood to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth.
 
In the top of the fifth the Lancers created the necessary separation with a three-run inning. Shull started the frame with a single to center and then stole second. After Sammy Miller walked, Longwood executed a double-steal. Two batters later Osinski ripped a two-run single to left to plate both runners. Lewis capped off the inning with a single to plate Osinski with two outs.
 
Longwood had to hold on to a late lead with Catlin entering the game, inheriting a pair of runners with one out in the bottom of the ninth. After a double by Ryan Jeffers drove in one run and cut Longwood's lead to 5-3, a walk loaded the bases before Catlin induced a double play to end the game.
 
Game Two
 
Wirsu followed Wager's performance and shut down the UNCW hitters with a quality start, but took the loss in an 11-1 final in the night cap.

"Wirsu had very good stuff today and kept us within reach," Mau said. "It was a very good game that unfortunately we let get away late."
 
Wirsu tossed 6.0 innings of two-run ball, holding UNCW to five hits with five strikeouts and three walks issued. The quality start was the first of the season for Wirsu. Longwood is 2-2 in games when pitchers record a quality start.
 
Grant Keller picked up the lone RBI of game two for Longwood, his second of the season, as he went 1-for-2 in the loss.
 
Longwood battled UNCW, trailing 2-1 through six innings. UNCW put together its best inning of the season in the home half of the seventh, scoring five runs on four hits, capped off by a bases-clearing double by Thorburn. The Seahawks then scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth.
 
The Lancers had several chances throughout the game to score a few more runs. Longwood loaded the bases in the fifth inning on a two-out double by Tucker and walks drawn by Osinski and Mitchell, but a ground out ended the inning before Longwood could tie the game or take the lead.
 
In the late innings of each game three Lancers made their season debuts. Steven Farkas pitched 1.0 inning and struck out three batters in the first game, Andrew Corbitt recorded one out in the eighth inning of game two, and Nathan Iskowitz pinch hit in the ninth inning of game two.
 
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