FARMVILLE, Va. – Karleigh Donovan's walkoff single up the middle in the eighth inning backed a complete-game performance from sophomore Arleigh Wood, as Longwood softball earned a doubleheader split with East Carolina Wednesday night at Lancer Field.
 
Logan Wood's go-ahead grand slam capped a 8-7 comeback win by the Pirates in the opening game of the day before Arleigh Wood tossed a complete-game gem to lift the Lancers to a 3-2 win in the nightcap.
 
"Those were two hard-fought games today," said Longwood head coach Kathy Riley. "Both teams really battled and both games were played at a high level. There wasn't a lot of sloppy play and the kids competed hard."
 
With the win, Longwood (12-8) head coach Kathy Riley is two shy of win No. 700 in her illustrious 23 seasons in Farmville. East Carolina (14-10) has dropped four of its last five games after Tuesday's twin bill split.
 
"When you have a game in which you're in control and end up losing, it will take away energy from you," Riley said. "We talked between games about manufacturing a lot of fight and grit. We did a great job of doing that in the second game."
 
Donovan's walkoff single was part of a three-hit day for the redshirt-senior, who went 3-of-8 with a double and a team-high four RBI throughout the day.
 
Donovan was one of five Lancers to record at least three hits, paced by senior Chelsea Whitcomb's 4-of-5 performance while also adding a run. The performance raises her batting average to a team-high .377 on the season in her first season with the Lancers. Leah Powell, Jordan Clark, and Alexa Wayland also added three hits each. 
 
"The first game was a tough loss for us, but we did a good job of coming our and being refocused," Donovan said. "We did a good job of playing how we knew how to play."
 
In the circle, the first complete-game performance from Wood led the Lancers, allowing two runs on seven hits and four walks in her effort, surpassing the 100-pitch mark for the first time in her career.
 
"It was a complete group effort out there with the play of our defense," Wood said. "They were excellent the entire game, played error free, got the ball back in quickly and stopped runs from scoring. I couldn't have asked for more from them." 
 
Longwood begins Big South play with a weekend series at Winthrop March 15-16. The first game of the series is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at Terry Field in Rock Hill, S.C.
 
Game 1: Wood's Grand Slam Caps Pirate Rally 8-7 Over Longwood
 
Logan Wood capped a three-run rally in the seventh inning with a grand slam to lift East Carolina past Longwood in the opening game of the day.
 
Wood's blast was part of a game that featured 25 hits between the two teams.
 
Wood was one of four Pirates with a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-4 at the dish. Ashleigh Inae and Campbell transfer Rachel McCollum each went 3-of-4 at the plate with Inae scoring three runs and McCollum finishing with three RBI. Tyler King added a two-hit game from atop the lineup.
 
Whitney Sanford (4-4) came on in relief of Erin Poepping to pick up the win, throwing 2.2 scoreless innings and allowing two hits and two walks. Poepping tossed 4.1 in a no decision, allowing seven runs, six earned, on 12 hits and five walks while striking out a pair.
 
Alexis Wayland continued her tear at the plate in going 2-of-5 with two runs and two RBI while Karleigh Donovan added a pair of RBI with a double into left center in the first inning. Kasey Carr belted her first home run of the season in the bottom of the third as part of a two-hit day while Chelsea Whitcomb produced her fifth multi-hit performance in going 2-of-2.
 
Sydney Backstrom (5-4) took the loss for the Lancers with a complete-game effort, allowing eight runs on 11 hits while walking three and striking out five batters in 141 pitches. Backstrom induced eight ground ball outs throughout.
 
Game 2: Donovan's Walkoff Backs Wood's Complete-Game Gem in 3-2 Win
 
Karleigh Donovan's eighth inning single back up the middle handed Longwood a split with a Pirates in a 3-2 win.
 
Donovan's single backed the effort of Arleigh Wood (1-0), who tossed her first complete-game performance in a Longwood uniform to pick up the win. Wood more than doubled her previous career-high in pitches, throwing 118 in her eight innings of work.
 
"I was not trying to be overly aggressive because in my previous at-bat I was a little too anxious," Donovan said. "I was trying to see a pitch down and hit it hard somewhere, get it up in the air and out of the infield.
 
Wood allowed two runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out one batter. She induced 14 ground balls and was supported by error-free softball from the Lancer defense.
 
"I haven't thrown a complete game since travel ball, so I had to focus on coming out with the same energy every inning," Wood said.
 
Wood's defense came to her aid with Jessica Smith earning a pair of assists in plays at the plate from her right field position, including an inning-ending relay from Smith to Leah Powell to Batten at the plate in the top of the seventh to tag out Inae.
 
Donovan, who has come up with clutch hits time-and-time again in her Longwood career, came up with another Tuesday. Her latest one out single was part of an inning in which Jordan Clark reached to leadoff the inning and advanced to third on a Kaylynn 'Bug' Batten single through the left side. Donovan stepped to the plate with one out and hit a 2-0 pitch back up the middle.
 
Chelsea Whitcomb finished with the lone multi-hit game for the Lancers, going 2-for-2 as she was one of five Lancers to combine for six hits.
 
Erin Poepping took the loss, giving up one run on two hits and three walks in 0.2 innings while Whitney Stanford picked up the no decision in her 6.2 innings of two-run ball.
 
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