Tournament Bracket (PDF) | Longwood Radio Network [Highlights] | Postgame Interview | Photo Gallery [Facebook]
 
FARMVILLE, Va. – For the fifth consecutive year, Longwood softball advanced to the semifinals of the Big South Championship after upsetting No. 2 seed Campbell 8-4 in the quarterfinal matchup Thursday afternoon at Lancer Field.
 
Playing in front of their home crowd, the No. 3 seed Lancers (26-26) got a two-run homer from All-Big South second team selection Karleigh Donovan and a go-ahead RBI double from All-Big South first-teamer Kaylynn Batten. Batten's double was one of two hits on the day for the Longwood backstop and jumpstarted a game-breaking five-run fifth inning.
 
"We were resilient today in coming back after they scored three runs," said Longwood head coach Kathy Riley. "We lost our composure for a little bit and I thought they came back nicely after that. We did a nice job of giving ourselves opportunities and letting the game to us."
 
After Campbell scored three runs in the third inning to tie the game 3-3, the Longwood offense batted around en route to scoring five runs in the fifth inning to break the game open. An RBI double from Batten provided the go-ahead run, before Donovan and Kasey Carr added to the hitting gallery.
 
Campbell (29-26) entered the game with the Big South's second-best run-scoring offense but ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Lancer ace Elizabeth McCarthy (13-8), who took over out of the bullpen in the first inning and held the Fighting Camels to four runs over the game's final 6.1 innings.
 
McCarthy, whose complete game two-hitter Wednesday led the Lancers to a 6-1 win over No. 6 seed Radford in the opening round, took over with two outs in the bottom of the first and held Campbell to seven hits the rest of the way. The win was the 74th of her four-year career, moving her into a tie for ninth place on the Big South's all-time list.
 
"She pitched well again today," Riley said. "Even though we gave up some hits, we were able to get out of several jams to ensure we allowed ourselves a chance to come out on top."
 
The senior southpaw extends her winning streak to four straight since throwing a one-hit shutout in the final regular season series at Radford. It's part of a stretch that has seen the two-time Big South Pitcher of the Year go 7-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 44.2 innings with 39 strikeouts.
 
Donovan drove in three runs and scored twice, while Carr added a pair of RBI. A second-team All-Big South selection, Donovan extended her hitting streak to three games as she has hits in nine of her last 13 games. In that stretch, the Dinwiddie, Va., product is hitting .356 with eight RBI and seven runs scored.
 
"I focused on clearing my mind when I went up to hit today," Donovan said. "I wasn't going to worry about what I did or didn't do in my previous at-bats."
 
In Longwood's two games in the Big South Tournament, Donovan and Batten have carried the torch for the Lancer offense, each with three hits and a combined five throughout.
 
The win sets Longwood up for a high-stakes rivalry showdown against top-seeded Liberty Friday at 2:30 p.m. The Lancers edged the Flames two games to one in the regular-season series but will need to slow down an offense that dispatched No. 4 seed Charleston Southern 11-3 Thursday.
 
The game will air live on ESPN3 and WatchESPN.com.
 
#WoodYouBelieve