ROCK HILL, S.C. – The seventh inning proved to be Longwood baseball's bane on Saturday afternoon. The Lancers outscored Winthrop 4-2 over the other 17 innings of baseball on the day, but Winthrop outscored Longwood 8-2 in the seventh inning to sweep a doubleheader 3-2 and 7-4 and take the series.
 
In the first game, Winthrop (17-25, 14-19 Big South) plated a pair of unearned runs to erase a one-run deficit, and they rallied for six runs in the seventh inning of game two to erase a three-run hole.
 
That was just enough against a Longwood (17-29, 10-22 Big South) offense that came in as one of the hottest units in the Big South. The Lancers came into the weekend hitting .348 and posted 24 hits over the course of the doubleheader, but Winthrop avoided the knockout blow in both games.
 
In the first game, Winthrop starter Colten Rendon threw his first career complete game, scattering nine hits over his nine innings while limiting Longwood to two runs. The second game featured 15 Longwood base knocks, but Winthrop turned three double plays and a triple play that cut down four Lancer rallies.
 
Despite the tough bounces, Longwood stayed on the attack and brought the tying run to the plate in each game. Eliot Dix and Drayven Kowalski each had a pair of base hits in the first game, with Dix totaling four hits on the day. Hayden Harris racked up four hits in the second game, one of five players with multiple hits for the Lancers. That offense coupled with competitive starts from on the mound Dominick D'Ercole and Andrew Melnyk that saw the duo combine to hold Winthrop to five runs, four earned, in 10.2 innings of work.

"I thought we got two really solid starts on the mound from Dominick D'Ercole and Andrew Melnyk today," said Longwood head coach Ryan Mau. "We played tough all day long and showed a ton of fight. We just need to execute the tight game situations better so that we can close those games out late."
 
Longwood heads home for its regular season finale against Charleston Southern on Thursday and Friday, May 20-21. The three-game series against Charleston Southern opens with a doubleheader on Thursday, May 20 at 1 p.m. followed by senior day on Friday, May 21 at 1 p.m. All three games will be aired on ESPN+.
 
Game 1 Winthrop 3, Longwood 2: Rendon's Gem Keys Winthrop Over Lancers
 
Colten Rendon (4-2) was masterful at evading big hits and explosive innings in his longest collegiate outing, holding a potent Longwood offense to two unearned runs on nine hits after the Lancers had tallied at least 10 hits eight times in their previous nine games. The right-hander struck out six and only surrendered one walk in the complete game effort.
 
That proved to be enough to deal a red-hot Longwood side only its third loss in the past nine games, with all three losses coming by one run in games that went down to the wire.
 
In the game, both sides struggled to drive in runs as Longwood's pitching staff nearly matched Rendon pitch for pitch. Instead, the two offenses combined for four unearned runs as the defenses totaled five errors on the day. Eliot Dix and Drayven Kowalski each had two-hit days for Longwood, but Rendon limited the Lancers to one extra-base knock.
 
None proved more costly than a pair of errors in the seventh on the Lancers. With Longwood nursing a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning, the two errors couple with two wild pitches allowed Winthrop to score two runs without a hit to take a 3-2 lead.
 
That finished erasing a 2-0 lead Longwood built in the second inning off an error for Winthrop. Hunter Gilliam and Andrew Gorham poked back-to-back singles to start the inning for Longwood, and a wild pitch put the duo at second and third. An error on Kowalski's grounder up the middle allowed both to score.
 
The Eagles trimmed the lead to one thanks to a two-out rally in the fifth. Ty Hooks capped it with an RBI single to left field to get Winthrop on the board.
 
JR Parrish (1-1) took the loss for Longwood after coming on in relief in the sixth inning. He pitched into the seventh, giving up two unearned runs on two hits. Dominick D'Ercole went 4.2 innings in the start, giving up only one run on six hits in his outing.
 
Game Two, Winthrop 7, Longwood 4: Right Place, Timely Hits Lead Winthrop Past Lancers
 
Jonathan Strauss swatted a pair of homers for Winthrop, including a two-run blast that kicked off a six-run rally in the seventh inning for Winthrop in the series finale. The six-run seventh erased a 4-1 Longwood lead and gave Winthrop the late lead for a second game in a row.
 
Meanwhile, the Winthrop defense was in the right place at the right time, turning three double plays and one triple play to escape some sticky situations.
 
That offset a Longwood offense that posted 15 hits, the fourth time this season Longwood has had at least 15 base hits. Hayden Harris led the charge with his third four-hit game of the season, and he added two RBI and scored once. The rest of the top of the order followed his lead, with Jack Schnell, Dix and Gilliam each adding a pair of base hits. Michael Peterson also added two base hits for a lineup that had eight players record a hit.
 
The top of the order gave Longwood an early lead, as Gilliam doubled home Schnell in the fourth inning to open the scoring. Harris poked an RBI single to left field to score Peterson in the fifth to make it 2-0.
 
Strauss answered with a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth, but Longwood proceeded to load the bases in the top of the sixth with nobody out. With the infield in, Andrew Gorham hit a screamer to short that Tyler Baker picked off the short hop. Baker quickly fired it home to erase the lead runner, and the Eagles went to third and second to turn a triple play and escape the jam.
 
The Lancers battled back though, and Harris doubled home Michael Dolberry in the top of the seventh to put the Lancers up two. Harris then scored on Schnell's single to right field for a 4-1 lead.
 
That set the stage for Winthrop's big rally, with Strauss delivering the opening blow. Back-to-back errors extended the run, and Dillon Morton poked home the final run to make it 7-4 with a single to center.
 
Longwood brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth, but a strikeout ended the threat. The Lancers added a base hit in the ninth, but a screaming line drive off Eliot Dix's bat was caught right at first, doubling off the runner before he could react to end the game.
 
Jason Crumley (1-3) earned the win for Winthrop after coming on in relief to get the final out of the seventh inning. He exited after the eighth for Daniel Blair, and Blair closed it out for his first save of the season.
 
Andrew Melnyk pitched into the seventh for Longwood for a third consecutive start, but he received a no decision. Melnyk struck out six while giving up four runs, three earned, on eight hits and two walks. Matt Shobe (1-1) took the loss after facing a pair of batters in the seventh.
 
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