CHARLESTON, S.C. – A four-run eighth inning by The Citadel proved to be the difference on Sunday afternoon in the series finale against Longwood. The Bulldogs (1-2) took the game 9-6 by capitalizing on every opportunity and mistake to deny Longwood the sweep after the Lancers won the first two games to take the series.
The game was a back and forth, entertaining tilt that featured 15 runs on 22 hits while the lead changed hands four times. The two offenses also consistently knocked on the door for more, as both teams stranded at least 10 runners on base, with Longwood leaving 11 and The Citadel leaving 12.
Twice, Longwood (2-1) had taken the lead behind timely hits by
Eliot Dix in the third inning and
Drayven Kowalski in the seventh inning, but each time The Citadel pounced on mistakes by the Lancers to jump back out front. A balk, an error and a pair of bang-bang plays in the fifth inning paved the way to four Bulldog runs, and a four-run eighth sealed the game for The Citadel. With Longwood nursing a 6-5 lead, Travis Lott was hit by a pitch and sacrificed to second. A pair of wild pitches sent him home, and the floodgates opened. Crosby Jones hit an RBI triple to take the lead, and an RBI double by Noah Mitchell and an RBI bunt single by Tilo Skole added insurance runs.
"Today was a very competitve back and forth ballgame," said Longwood head coach
Ryan Mau. "We had the rough fifth inning defensively where we mishandled a few situations and hurt ourselves. Then we fought back with the big two-out triple from Kowalski."
After The Citadel took an early 1-0 lead off Longwood starter
Colton Hutt, the Lancers rallied in the third and batted around.
Ricky Jimenez poked an RBI single through the left side to tie the game at one, and Dix swatted home two more to take the lead and continue his scorching start to the season. He leads the team with nine RBI.
Hunter Gilliam capped the inning by racing home on a dropped third strike to stake Longwood to a 4-1 lead.
Following The Citadel's rally in the fifth to take the lead,
Logan Berrier came on in relief for Longwood and locked it down to keep the game tight and give his team a chance to rally. He tied a career high with five strikeouts over two innings, and the Lancers paid it off with a two-out rally in the top of the seventh. Dix and Gilliam drew back-to-back walks with two outs, and Kowalski cranked a triple deep to center field to put Longwood up 6-5. However, the Bulldogs returned the favor with four runs in the eighth to seal the deal.
"Hutt gave us a solid start, and Berrier was outstanding coming on in relief," Mau said. "He was throwing all his pitches with supreme confidence, and the action on them was plus."
For The Citadel, Devin Beckley (1-0) earned the win on the mound, pitching the final two innings while striking out three without surrendering a hit.
Nathaniel Brezner-Mendoza (0-1) took the loss for Longwood after being touched up for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Hutt went four innings in the start, striking out three while only surrendering one run on four walks and four hits.
"This was the competitive weekend I was hoping for from our team," said Mau. "We were full of energy and played hard all three days. We learned how to win big, how to win an extra inning game, and how to handle a heartbreaking late inning loss. There were a ton of positive takeaways, and we identified some areas we need to improve on. Overall, it was a good series win on the road, and we are excited to continue to build from here.
The Lancers return home with a series win under their belt to take on North Carolina Central in a midweek test for their home opener on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Buddy Bolding Stadium in Farmville.
#GoWood
