NORFOLK, Va. – Antwaun Tucker went 3-for-4 with a career-high four runs scored and picked up his NCAA-leading seventh triple of the season as the Lancers rolled Norfolk State, 13-6, Wednesday at Marty L. Miller Field.
Longwood (17-30), winners of four in a row, is getting hot at the right time as the Lancers head down the stretch to try and qualify for the Big South Tournament. The win at Norfolk State (24-20) sends the Lancers to their longest winning streak of the season.
Every Lancer starter picked up at least one hit and four Lancers picked up multi-hit games in the win at Norfolk State, led by Tucker's three-hit day. Tucker reached base four times as he also drew a walk, extending his hitting streak to a season-long seven games and his reached base streak to a season-best 16 games.
During his hitting streak Tucker is hitting .367 (11-for-30) with eight runs scored, five RBI, two doubles, two triples, and four walks drawn.
Alex Lewis went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a pair of walks in the win, picking up his 200th career hit in his 200th career game played.
Tucker and Lewis were joined by
Nate Blakeney and
Brandon Harvell, who each homered and picked up a pair of hits in the win.
Harvell, a senior and native of nearby Yorktown, Va., blasted a fourth-inning solo shot to center as he went 2-for-5 his final game played in the Hampton Roads.
Blakeney was 2-for-4 with three runs scored, ripped a double, and drew a walk in the win.
Jon Peterson (3-2) picked up the win with 3.0 innings of one-run ball on two hits. Peterson struck out four batters in the win. His fourth strikeout broke Longwood's single season school record of 440 strikeouts, set in head coach
Ryan Mau's first season in 2015, with punchout number 441 in 2017. The Lancers struck out 14 batters to put the season total at 451.
Devin Gould,
Eric Harp, and
Cody Boydstun each added a pair of strikeouts in one scoreless inning out of the bullpen.
Jonathan Mauricio (3-5) suffered the loss for Norfolk State, surrendering six runs, five earned, to the Lancers on nine hits in 5.0 innings of work.
Longwood started the game with a two-run first inning.
Sammy Miller walked and Tucker singled, followed by a sacrifice bunt by
Michael Osinski to move the runners over.
Justin Mitchell picked up a sacrifice fly, his fifth straight game with an RBI, to put Longwood up 1-0. Lewis then singled through the right side to plate Tucker and put Longwood ahead 2-0.
After Norfolk State scored a run in the first inning to cut the Longwood lead in half, the Lancers scored two more in the third inning to stretch out the lead. Mitchell singled to start the inning and came around to score later in the third on a wild pitch. Blakeney capped off the third with a home run down the left field line.
The Lancers struck for two more in the fourth, starting with Harvell's second home run of the season.
The Lancers picked up their second-highest run total of the season in the win and were one off their season high in strikeouts as a team.
The Lancers conclude the season with back-to-back games on the road against teams they are chasing in the Big South standings. Longwood begins a three-game series at UNC Asheville Friday before heading to Campbell to conclude the regular season.
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