FARMVILLE, Va. – A complete game, one-run effort from Sarah Cornell in game one, and a four-RBI performance at the plate from Megan Patierno in game two led Hofstra to a doubleheader sweep of Longwood, 4-1 and 9-7, in the first games of the three-game series Saturday afternoon at Lancer Field.
 
The wins were the third and fourth straight for the Pride (7-5), who took advantage of a pair of Longwood errors in both games to score a combined seven unearned runs in the twinbill.
 
Those miscues came back to hurt the Lancers (5-10) in both games, with Brittany Allocca belting a three-run homer after a dropped fly ball in the first inning of game one, and Courtney Scarpato and Nikki Michalowski scoring on a two-out fielding error in the fourth inning of game two.
 
The game-two miscues negated 11 hits in that game for the Lancers, who came alive with three doubles in the nightcap after managing just five total hits in the opener against the undefeated freshman Cornell (6-0).
 
"There were good things we did, we just did so many bad things that overshadowed what we did well," said Longwood head coach Kathy Riley. "That last game, we had 11 hits and seven runs, and 95 percent of the time you should win that game. There were just too many little letdowns here and there."
 
Cornell outdueled Lancer sophomore Sydney Gay (5-4) in game one, outpacing the reigning Big South Tournament MVP who gave up just one earned run and struck out five over 7.0 innings but surrendered three unearned runs on Allocca's first-inning home run.
 
Hofstra right-handers Jessica Peslak (1-1) and Alyssa Irons were also the beneficiaries of Longwood miscues in game two, splitting mount duties in nightcap that saw the Pride score plate four unearned runs, all of which came after the fourth inning.
 
"A lot of those letdowns were defense and pitching today," Riley said. "We gave them a lot of opportunities at the plate with walks and errors, and then, to Hofstra's credit, they did a nice job hitting with people on base today. We just had a lot of opportunities to play better, and we didn't play well enough."
 
Longwood will get a shot at redemption in the series finale Sunday at noon at Lancer Field.
 
Game 1: Hofstra 4, Longwood 1
 
Hofstra rode a three-run homer from Brittany Allocca and a one-run complete game from Sarah Cornell to a series-opening 4-1 win over Longwood in game one of a doubleheader Saturday at Lancer Field.
 
Allocca's go-ahead home run in the top of the first was enough to back seven innings of one-run ball from Cornell (6-0), who earned her sixth consecutive win after scattering five hits and three walks. The freshman right-hander stranded seven runners on base and struck out four to push the Pride their third straight win.
 
Hofstra got some early help from the Lancers, who dropped a popup in the top of the first to extend the Pride's first turn at the plate. That error came back to hurt the Lancers, as the extra out allowed Allocca to deposit her three-run, two-out bomb over the center field wall just out of the reach of a leaping Jordan Clark at the wall.
 
Allocca's homer was the lone blemish on an otherwise dominant afternoon from starter Sydney Gay (5-4), who rebounded from the three-run first inning to retire 15 of the next 17 batters she faced. She sat down 12 straight Pride hitters at one point, allowing just one more run in the top of the seventh on a two-out double from Courtney Scarpato, who finished 2-for-2.
 
The Lancers stranded three runners in scoring position across the seven-inning opener and got their lone run on a sacrifice fly from junior Glenn Walters in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Justina Augustine also singled twice but was left stranded both times.
 
Game two of the series will take place after Saturday's doubleheader opener with the game three finale set for Sunday at noon.
 
Game 2: Hofstra 9, Longwood 7
 
Megan Patierno homered and drove in four runs to power the Pride to a 9-7 comeback win over Longwood in game two of the series Saturday afternoon at Lancer Field.
 
Patierno went 3-for-4 and blasted a go-ahead, three-run home run during a four-run third inning that put the Pride ahead for good. She added an RBI fielder's choice in her final at bat and crossed the plate three times as Hofstra secured the series victory.
 
Hofstra's nine-run effort was just enough to overcome an 11-hit day from a Longwood team seeking redemption from a 4-1 game-one loss. The Lancers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning thanks to an RBI double from senior Justina Augustine and a two-out single from freshman Destiny Martinez but saw that lead evaporate with one swing of Patierno's bat in the top of the third.
 
Patierno's homer took advantage of a pair of leadoff walks Longwood issued in the top of that inning and put the Lancers in a hold they tried to climb out of for the duration. After starter Jessica Peslak (1-1) held the Lancers at bay and left the game with a 6-4 lead after the fourth inning, Alyssa Irons took over and picked up a three-inning save despite allowing three more runs.
 
Longwood second baseman Karleigh Donovan accounted for three of Longwood's seven runs, going 3-for-4 at the plate. She was one of three Lancers to record multiple hits, leading Jordan Clark, who went 2-for-4, and Krista Kelly, who went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI.
 
Senior starter Elizabeth McCarthy (0-4), the Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year, suffered the loss after scattering four runs across 4.2 combined innings. Redshirt junior Sydney Mundell allowed the other five runs, though only one was earned after her defense committed a pair of errors during her 2.1 innings of work.
 
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