COLUMBIA, S.C. – Facing two of the nation's top-ranked teams in back-to-back games on day two of the Gamecock Invitational, Longwood suffered a 9-0 defeat at the hands of No. 16 Duke Saturday afternoon before No. 18 South Carolina followed with a 12-2 win over the Lancers in Saturday's nightcap at Beckham Field.
 
Continuing an early-season gauntlet that has now seen the Big South powerhouse Lancers (2-6) play five of their first eight games against nationally ranked teams, Longwood could not repeat the upset it pulled off in last weekend's 3-2 win over No. 16 Georgia while facing two of the nation's highest-scoring offenses in the Blue Devils (10-1) and Gamecocks (8-1) Saturday.
 
Led by a one-hit shutout from starter Peyton St. George, the Blue Devils kept Longwood's offense in check in Saturday afternoon's opener and used a late-game power surge to cruise to a 9-0 win.
 
In Saturday night's follow-up, the host Gamecocks showcased their top-to-bottom power with RBI from seven different players and a seven-run fourth inning to pull out a 12-2 victory. South Carolina starter Leah Powell, who shares a name but no relation with Longwood two-way player Leah Powell, also fired a five-inning complete game, holding the Lancers to just two hits.
 
Along with their offensive displays, Duke and South Carolina managed to silence a Longwood offense that one day prior touched up South Carolina's pitching staff for a season-high six runs on a season-high nine hits. The Lancers' lone hits Saturday came off the bats of juniors Madison Blair and Sydney Jacobsen, and sophomore Lauren Taylor.
 
Saturday's doubleheader concludes Longwood's participation in the Gamecock Invitational but not the Lancers' jam-packed weekend, as they will now head to Charlotte N.C., to catch the tail end of the First Pitch Classic hosted by Charlotte in Charlotte, N.C. First up in that doubleheader will be a 1 p.m. matchup against host Charlotte followed by a 4 p.m. finale against Western Carolina.
 
Game One: No. 16 Duke Quiets Longwood Bats in 9-0 Win Saturday Morning
 
Led by a one-hit shutout from ace Peyton St. George, No. 16 Duke continued its ascent up the national rankings at Longwood's expense with a 9-0 win Saturday afternoon at Beckham Field.
 
The Lancers, playing their fourth game against a top-25 foe this season, kept pace with Duke's loaded lineup through the first three frames thanks to three solid innings from sophomore Leigha Hill in her first career start. However, after Hill's exit in the fourth, the Blue Devil bats – led by three RBI from catcher Kelly Torres – awakened and plated a combined seven runs in the final two frames to end the game early and give Duke (10-1) its second win of the tournament and fourth straight overall.
 
Opposite Hill, St. George stifled Longwood's offense from start to finish, allowing just one hit – off the bat of Lancer three-hitter Sydney Jacobsen – en route to her fourth career shutout. She struck out eight, issued just one walk and retired the final 10 batters she faced to improve to 3-0 on the year and drop her ERA to 2.25 on the year.
 
Hill allowed just two runs in her 3.0 innings of work, both of which came off solo home runs in the first and second inning. Hill shook off both of those blemishes, however, ending those frames without allowing another hit and then working out of a two-on jam in the third by rolling a double-play ground ball to the fifth-year middle infield duo of second baseman Destiny Martinez and shortstop Kasey Carr.
 
However, Duke's bats did not stay quiet for long, as Torres created two runs after Hill's exit in the fourth by driving in Raine Wilson with an RBI double and scoring two at bats later on a first-and-third double steal.
 
The fifth inning saw that offensive surge swell as the Blue Devils used three hits and three walks to plate four more runs, including a game-ending two-run single from Torres that ran the final score to 9-0.
 
"Our path for this season will not be an easy one, but nothing great ever came by following the easy path," said first-year Longwood head coach Dr. Megan Brown.
 
The loss comes in the first of two games against top-25 teams for Longwood Saturday at the Gamecock Invitational. The Lancers will face No. 18 South Carolina in a 6 p.m. rematch later this evening at Beckham Field.
 
Game Two: Host & 16th-Ranked South Carolina Stays Unbeaten at Home With 12-2 Win Over Lancers
 
Powered by an offense that saw seven different players drive a run, No. 18 South Carolina completed a weekend sweep over Longwood with a 12-2 victory in game two of the Lancers' Saturday afternoon doubleheader at the Gamecock Invitational at Beckham Field.
 
South Carolina's run production came from the top to the bottom of the lineup, as eight different Gamecocks had base hits, four scored multiple runs and eight crossed the plate at least once. South Carolina catcher Jordan Fabian led the team with a pair of hits, two runs and an RBI triple that came as part of a five-run first inning.
 
That five-run first was one of two big innings for the Gamecocks, who later plated seven in the bottom of the fifth to end the game.
 
Gamecock starter Leah Powell was the beneficiary of those offensive outbursts, cruising to a five-inning complete game victory while scattering two runs, one earned, on a pair of Longwood hits. Powell needed just 71 pitches to get to the end of the game and silenced Longwood's final fifth-inning salvo, working around a two-run Lancer rally that culminated with a two-run double from sophomore Lauren Taylor.
 
Between South Carolina's two big innings, Longwood ace Sydney Backstrom settled down to blank the Gamecocks in a scoreless second and third. The All-Big South right-hander retired six of the eight batters she faced in those two frames, but South Carolina got to her once again in the bottom of the fourth before she gave way to sophomore Leigha Hill, who closed out the bottom of the fourth in her second appearance of the day.

"I was proud of the fight our team showed, even in the face of great adversity," said Longwood head coach Dr. Megan Brown. "I'm proud of the fact that today has not discouraged our team, but rather inspired them to continue to fight."
 
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