FARMVILLE, Va. – N.C. Central catcher Colin Smith delivered a go-ahead two-run single in the top of the sixth that jump-started a 14-5 comeback win over Longwood Wednesday evening at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
 
In a game that featured four lead changes, N.C. Central (6-11) went ahead for good on Smith's bases-loaded base knock up the middle in the top of the sixth, erasing Longwood's 5-4 lead and sending the Eagles to their third straight win over a Big South team this season.
 
Smith's two-run single was the second of his three hits on the day and capitalized on an inning that saw N.C. Central put five runners on base via walk or hit batter. He finished with a career-high four RBI, was one of four Eagles to reach base safely at least four times in the game and one of five with multiple base hits.
 
A total of six Eagles reached safely in the sixth inning alone, leading to a four-run outburst that stole the momentum Longwood (4-13) generated after staking a 5-4 lead on Jack Schnell's RBI single in the bottom of the fourth. Lancer relievers John Gregory and Andrew Potojecki also contributed to that temporary momentum swing, with Gregory stranding the bases loaded in the fourth and Potojecki leaving two more in scoring position in the fifth – both by strikeout – before N.C. Central finally broke through.
 
However, Longwood's lead was short-lived, as N.C. Central followed its four-run sixth by putting up four more in the seventh and two more in the ninth. The Eagles tagged 15 hits on the night and forced the Lancers to go deep into their bullpen with nine total pitchers in the midweek showdown.
 
Meanwhile, the Eagles' bullpen made that mid-innings charge stand, as the quartet of Tom Guglielmello, Jonathan Peacock, Shawn Runey (1-0) and Tyler Penner shut out the Lancers from the fifth through the eighth.
 
Longwood strung together three hits in the top of the ninth, including the second of the game from shortstop Ricky Jimenez, before Scott Meylan wrapped up the win by taking over with the bases loaded and striking out the side to strand all three runners.
 
The loss marks Longwood's final non-conference tune-up before the start of Big South play, which begins this weekend when the Lancers host the conference's preseason No. 3 and Commonwealth rival Radford for a three-game set Friday through Sunday, March 15-17.
 
#GoWood