HONOLULU, HAWAI'I – If Karleigh Donovan has proven one thing throughout her career at Longwood, it's that she enjoys hitting in clutch situations.

Donovan's latest clutch hit, a sixth inning double, brought home the go-ahead run as the Lancers built on that cushion during a four-run sixth inning to back a complete-game, three-hit effort from Sydney Backstrom and claim a 6-4 win over 15th-ranked Cal Sunday to close out the Texaco Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament.

"We took a big step today in realizing that we can be a consistently high-level team," said Longwood head coach Kathy Riley. "It's not just the win against a strong Cal team, but putting together four competitive games in a row. I'm proud of our kids for battling so hard."

That two-out hit delivered by Donovan was part of a four-run sixth inning, as Krista Kelly followed with an RBI single to give the Lancers a three-run cushion. In addition, Kasey Carr delivered a leadoff double during a 2-for-3 day and Destiny Martinez added a single, as Longwood (9-6) scored four runs on four hits in the inning.

That four-run sixth inning aided a phenomenal start in the circle from Backstrom (4-3), as she tossed a complete-game, giving up four runs, two earned, while limiting Cal's potent lineup to just three hits. She added five walks and a strikeout to claim her fourth win of the season.  

"I just focused on making sure my pitches worked and I knew that my team had my back in the field," Backstrom said.

Backstrom limited a Cal lineup that came into Sunday among the top 25 in the nation with a .328 batting average to just three hits. The Huntersville, N.C., native retired 11 of the final 15 batters she faced.

In her first season with the Lancers, Backstrom was part of a Longwood pitching staff that limited the five opponents that the Lancers faced to seven earned runs and a .165 batting average across the five games in the tournament.

The Bears (18-3) become the fourth-highest ranked opponent Longwood has defeated in its Division I history and the highest opponent the Lancers have beaten since their win over then-No. 8 Georgia during the 2011 season. In addition, Cal becomes the first ranked opponent that the Lancers have beaten since NC State during the 2015 season.

Donovan, a player that has come up big on the grandest stage with her extra-inning walk-off double against North Carolina in the 2016 NCAA Regional to send Longwood to its first-ever NCAA Regional Championship game, has become used to the spotlight that comes with coming up big in a key situation.

"I do my best to put myself in the best place possible mentally," Donovan said of her approach in key situations. "As soon as I step into the box all the pressure is drowned out by my simple approach of seeing a good pitch that I can hit hard somewhere. I have a positive mindset because I've been in high pressure situations before, so I can do it again. The simpler I keep it, the better off it helps me relax in situations like that."

Donovan was part of an offensive onslaught by the Lancers, who got the better end of the 14th-ranked pitching staff in the country, as the Bears came into the day sporting a 1.09 ERA. Longwood strung together nine hits, one shy of its sixth game of the season with 10-plus hits.

A two-time All-Big South performer Donovan, along with Carr and Kelly led the Lancers with a pair of hits, as Jordan Clark, Jenna Dunn and Destiny Martinez also added a hit. Kelly drove in a pair, as the Rockville, Md., product extended her hitting streak to five games to raise her batting average to .340 on the season.

Kelly paced the Lancers at the plate throughout the five games, hitting .412 with four RBI and a run scored, as she was the only player with hits in all five games.

Zoe Conly (8-3) took the loss for the Bears, allowing six runs, five earned, on nine hits and five walks. She struck out 11 Lancers throughout the afternoon.

Longwood will have two days off before playing their second tournament in the Aloha State. The Lancers open that tournament Wednesday, March 7 versus BYU with the first pitch set for 6 p.m. ET.

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