FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood scored three runs in each of the first two innings and added four in the sixth to extend its winning streak to four straight in an 11-6 win over Virginia Tuesday night at Lancer Field.
Jordan Clark led the way for Longwood's offense, which collected 11 runs on 13 hits, with a 2-for-4 performance with three runs, three RBI, as she extended her hitting streak to four consecutive games. Clark was one of three Lancers with a multi-hit game, as
Kasey Carr went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, while
Jessica Smith added a two-hit game with a run and RBI.
"Jordan never really get down on herself too much," said Longwood head coach
Kathy Riley. "If she has a bad swing or bad at-bat, she doesn't let it bother her the next time she goes up to hit and that's one of the reasons that she's playing so well right now."
The performance for Clark is her sixth multi-hit performance in her last 11 games, as she's raised her batting average to .306 on the season, second on the team. Clark added a second inning three-run home run to highlight a three-run first and a three-run second for the Lancers.
The win hands Longwood (25-13) its 11th win in its last 13 games, bringing head coach
Kathy Riley to within two wins of collecting No. 800 of her coaching career spanning 26 seasons at Mount Olive and Longwood. The loss for Virginia (16-22) is its 10th straight.
"We started the game nicely stroking the ball, but truth be told, we didn't have a lot of bad at-bats," Riley said. "We were aggressive at the plate."
In the circle,
Sydney Gay (9-6) got the win with 2.2 innings, giving up five runs on six hits and two walks, as she came on in relief.
Arleigh Wood earned the save,
allowing one unearned run on two hits.
Sydney Backstrom got the start in the circle, spinning three scoreless innings of one-hit ball, adding three strikeouts.
Virginia mounted a five-run inning in the sixth, batting around the lineup and collecting five runs on five hits.
Aly Rayle (6-7) took the loss, allowing six runs on five hits in two innings. Allyson Frei pitched the final four innings for Virginia.
Hayley Busby, Tori Gilbert and Donna Friedman each collected two hits to lead the Virginia offense.
Longwood heads to Radford Thursday, April 11 to face the Highlanders. That matchup is set for a 5 p.m. first pitch.
"Radford beat us twice last year in the conference tournament, so it should be easy for us to go to their place and be ready to play softball," Riley said.
#GoWood
