ELON, N.C. – Veterans and newcomers alike took turns in the spotlight on opening day as the 2019 version of the Big South powerhouse Longwood softball team debuted and split a doubleheader with Eastern Kentucky and Appalachian State Friday at the Elon Opening Weekend Tournament at Hunt Softball Park.
 
Opening their 22nd season under the direction of two-time Big South Coach of the Year Kathy Riley, the Lancers (1-1) fired on all cylinders in a dominant season-opening 10-1 win over Eastern Kentucky (0-1) before falling in the seventh inning, 6-3, to Appalachian State (1-0) in game two.
 
On the day, the Lancers hit .357 (20-of-56) with the top half of the batting order contributing 12 RBI and 14 hits.
 
Big South Preseason Player of the Year Kaylynn Batten strung together a pair of multi-hit games, opening with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, scoring three times and driving in a pair of runs. She followed that performance up with another 2-for-3 game against the Mountaineers, scoring a run on freshman Alexis Wayland's game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Veterans Jordan Clark, Karleigh Donovan and Jenna Dunn all delivered three-hit days, with Clark doubling twice in the win over Eastern Kentucky.
 
Meanwhile, newcomer Chelsea Whitfield, a fifth-year senior transfer from Virginia Tech, introduced herself to the Lancer faithful with two hits and a stolen base while starting both games. Fellow newcomer Wayland also got on the board with her first career home run, while her freshman classmate Sydney Jacobsen drove in her first career RBI with a pinch-hit single against Appalachian State.
 
On the mound, Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year Sydney Gay (1-0) picked up the win in Friday's opener with a dominant performance that saw her scatter just one hit and a run over 4.0 complete innings. She struck out three and did not allow a hit after the first batter she faced.
 
Sophomore Sydney Backstrom (0-1) played the role of workhorse for the Lancers, throwing 8.0 innings while allowing three earned runs and eight hits and striking out five. She suffered a hard-luck loss against the Mountaineers after five Longwood errors led to three unearned runs in the 6-3 defeat.
 
The Lancers continue the three-day Elon Tournament Saturday with a showdown against host Elon at 2:15 p.m. and will then conclude the weekend with the Sunday finale against Eastern Kentucky at 11 a.m.
 
Game One: Middle of Lineup Backs Gay's Dominance in 10-1 Win Over Eastern Kentucky
Backed by eight RBI from the heart of the lineup and a combined one-hitter by Sydney Gay and Sydney Backstrom, Longwood opened the 2019 softball season in dominant fashion with a 10-1 takedown of Eastern Kentucky on the first day of the Elon Opening Weekend Tournament at Hunt Softball Park.
 
Longwood's 3-4-5 trio of Karleigh Donovan, Jenna Dunn and Jordan Clark drove in a combined eight runs and went 6-for-9 as the Lancers (1-0) banged out 11 hits in a five-inning run-rule victory. Dunn and Clark drove in three RBI apiece, while Donovan sent in a pair.
 
Big South Preseason Player of the Year Kaylynn Batten sparked Longwood's offense from the top of the order, going 2-for-3 with three runs, a walk and two RBI of her own.
 
That offensive onslaught backed a shutdown performance from Longwood's 1-2 pitching duo of Gay and Backstrom, who held the Colonels (0-1) to one hit through 5.0 innings of one-run ball.
 
That lone hit was a leadoff home run by Destinee Lizzmore, who took Gay deep in the bottom of the first. However, Gay – the Big South Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year – bounced back to finish with 4.0 innings of one-run ball before Backstrom stepped in to close the game with a hitless ninth.
 
Game Two: App. State Overcomes Wayland's First Career Homer to Top Longwood 6-3
After cruising to a run-rule win over Eastern Kentucky in the first half of a season-opening doubleheader, the Lancers found themselves on the wrong end of several defensive miscues and a seventh-inning rally in a 6-3 loss to Appalachian State.
 
After Longwood freshman Alexis Wayland tied the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth, Lancer right-hander Sydney Backstrom took the game into the seventh with a 3-3 score. However, Backstrom mishandled a leadoff knock by Haley Stewart, and Alison Durrence followed with a go-ahead two-run homer down the left field line.
 
Another Lancer fielding error later in the inning allowed pinch runner Gabby Buruato to score before Backstrom rolled another ground ball and struck out two-hitter Caylie Kifer to end the inning.
 
Longwood's offense rapped out nine hits, and Kaylynn Batten picked up her second straight multi-hit game at the top of the order by going 2-for-3 with a run and a walk. Chelsea Whitcomb also went 2-for-3 with a run and picked up her first stolen base as a Lancer, doing so in a fourth-inning that ultimately ended with her scoring on freshman Sydney Jacobsen's pinch-hit RBI single.
 
Backstrom took the loss in the circle for the Lancers, surrendering six runs, three earned, on eight hits in seven innings. She fanned four in the complete game effort.
 
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