COLUMBIA, S.C. – A complete-game gem from Longwood ace Sydney Backstrom in a win over Seton Hall highlighted a doubleheader split on day one of the Gamecock Classic for the Lancers, who edged out Seton Hall 3-2 in the morning before falling 14-6 to host and 18th-ranked South Carolina in game two at Beckham field.
 
In Longwood's second tournament weekend of the season, Backstrom (1-2) woke up on the right side of the bed for the 10 a.m. matchup with Seton Hall and twirled a four-hit gem that led the Lancers to tournament-opening win over the Pirates.
 
The 6-1 right-hander shut out Seton Hall (0-1) through the first six innings and bounced back from a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to close out her 30th career complete game and the Lancers' second victory under first-year head coach Dr. Megan Brown.
 
But with Backstrom unavailable in game two after her seven-inning performance in Friday's opener, Longwood (2-4) ran into one of the NCAA's most high-powered offenses Friday afternoon and fell to No. 18 South Carolina in six innings. The Gamecocks (6-1) entered the day ranked 20th nationally with 7.60 runs per game and put that SEC-caliber offense on display with a power surge in the late innings, scoring a combined nine runs in the final three frames to bust open an early 5-5 deadlock.
 
South Carolina five-hitter Kassidy Krupit spearheaded the Gamecock offense, finishing 4-for-4 with six RBI and a home run, while three-hitter Kenzi Maguire also drove in three runs. Their efforts were enough to overcome a Longwood offense that touched up South Carolina's nationally ranked pitching staff for six runs on nine hits, more than the Gamecocks arms have allowed in a single game all season.
 
The Lancers will resume play at the Gamecock Invitational with two more games Thursday, facing a pair of nationally ranked foes with a 1 p.m. matchup against No. 16 Duke and a rematch against the 18th-ranked Gamecocks at 3 p.m. That doubleheader will be the second of three in a row this weekend, as the Lancers will head to Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday to face host Charlotte and Western Carolina at the First Pitch Classic.
 
Game One: Backstrom's 4-Hit Gem Sends Longwood Past Seton Hall 3-2
 
On a chilly, overcast Friday morning at South Carolina's Beckham Field, senior ace Sydney Backstrom spun a four-hit gem to lead Longwood past Seton Hall 3-2 in the opening game of the Gamecock Invitational.
 
Longwood's All-Big South starter was nearly untouchable through her first six innings, carrying a two-hit shutout into the top of the seventh before the Pirates (0-1) finally got on the board with a two-run homer from right fielder Darby Pandolfo. However, Backstrom (1-2) made that homer the lone blemish on her day by retiring three of the next four hitters she faced en route to her 30th career complete game and second this season.
 
The 6-1 right-hander struck out four, allowed just six baserunners, and gave up just two hits over her first six frames. That performance was enough to make to make a three-run fifth inning stand, as the Lancers (2-3) won their second game under first-year head coach Dr. Megan Brown.
 
"I am very proud of the fight and grit our team showed," said Brown, whose first Longwood win was a 3-2 upset of No. 16 Georgia this past weekend. "Our defense worked hard to give our offense an opportunity to manufacture the runs we needed as a team. I'm pleased to see us competing together."
 
The turn of the lineup provided the bulk of Longwood's offense Friday morning, as No. 8 hitter Lauren Taylor was hit by a pitch and stole second to spark that fifth-inning rally, and No. 9 hitter Kasey Carr, leadoff batter Mason Basdikis and No. 2 hitter Destiny Martinez all followed with RBI hits. Carr's was a double to left field that plated Taylor from second, while Basdikis followed with a double of her own to send in Carr, and the speedster Martinez capped the scoring burst with an RBI infield single.
 
Those three runs were the only scoring inning Seton Hall starter Kelsey Carr (0-1) allowed on the day, suffering the hard-luck loss despite giving up just three hits and a walk and hitting one batter.
 
Game Two: No. 18 South Carolina's Bats Come Alive Late to Down Longwood 14-6
 
Powered by a six-RBI day from junior first baseman Kassidy Krupit, No. 18 South Carolina rattled off its sixth straight win and 10th straight at home with a 14-6 victory over Longwood Friday afternoon.
 
Krupit went 4-for-4 with a home run, reached base safely five times, and drove in a run with all four of her hits out of the five spot in the high-powered Gamecocks' lineup. Her two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth broke open a 5-5 tie and sparked an end-game power surge that saw South Carolina score a combined nine runs in the final three innings, including a game-ending four-run rally in the bottom of the sixth.
 
The Gamecocks, who entered the day with the SEC's top two leaders in batting average and on base percentage in Mackenzie Boesel and Carlie Henderson, raked 13 hits against a Lancer pitching staff without ace Sydney Backstrom, who threw 7.0 innings in a complete-game win over Seton Hall earlier in the day.
 
South Carolina's late-game offensive outburst overcame a scrappy effort from the Lancers, who touched up the Gamecock for six runs and nine hits, the most they have allowed in a single game this season. Both Nia Green and Alexis Wayland had multiple hits, with Green driving in a pair of runs out of the No. 6 spot and Wayland scoring twice as the cleanup hitter.
 
Playing their second game of the day following a 3-2 win over Seton Hall in the morning, the Lancers kept pace with the powerhouse Gamecocks early, battling to a 5-5 tie through three innings.
 
Longwood threw the first punch with a three-run first inning that began with a leadoff single from junior sparkplug Mason Basdikis and continued with an RBI single from junior Sydney Jacobsen. Alexis Wayland followed with another hit, and Leah Powell walked to load the bases, setting the table for Green to drive in Jacobsen with an RBI fielder's choice and Wayland to score on an ensuing Gamecock throwing error.
 
South Carolina answered back in their first turn at the plate, tying the game with a three-run, two-out rally in the bottom of the first. Longwood starter Arleigh Wood (0-1) retired the first two Gamecocks she faced, but a hit batter and back-to-back walks loaded the bases. A walk pitch scored one of those before Henderson drove in another with an RBI single, and Zoe Laneaux capped the rally with an RBI fielder's choice.
 
The Gamecocks sent in two more runs in the bottom of the second to take a 5-3 lead, but Longwood battled back once again and knotted the score at 5-5 in the top of the third. Graduate student Destiny Martinez started the rally with a double that traveled well over the head South Carolina center fielder Aaliyah White and scored two batters later when Wayland delivered her second single of the day. Small ball moved Wayland over to third where Madison Blair sent her in with a sacrifice fly to left field.
 
Longwood two-way sophomore Leigha Hill (0-1), who took over for Wood in the bottom of the second, followed with a scoreless third to keep the game deadlocked heading to the fourth. However, the Lancers couldn't hold South Carolina's bats in check any longer, as the Gamecocks – beginning with Krupit's go-ahead homer in the fourth – tagged eight of their 13 hits in the final three innings.
 
Along with Green's two-run day, Wayland scored twice, and seven different Lancers recorded a hit – including the top six batters in the lineup.
 
"We fought, we worked, we learned, but we came up short," said Brown. "We will be back at it tomorrow."
 
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