ATLANTA, Ga. – Longwood softball split two game on day two of the Buzz Classic, hosted by Georgia Tech, on Saturday afternoon.
Kayley DeVivi delivered a pair of clutch RBI in a 6-5 win over Villanova to open the day with a win. The Lancers (1-3) then battled against #12/14 Alabama, but ultimately early runs pushed the Crimson Tide to a 7-2 win.
"I'm so proud of our young ladies and their grit and fight today," said Longwood head coach
Dr. Megan Brown. "Lots of positive things and lots of lessons learned."
Game 1: Longwood 6, Villanova 5
In the opening game, DeVivi came through when Longwood softball needed it most, and the Lancers earned a 6-5 win over Villanova on day two of the Buzz Classic, hosted by Georgia Tech.
DeVivi drove in the final two runs of the game with a tiebreaking solo home run in the fifth and a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh. The final run put the Lancers ahead for good, 6-5. DeVivi went 2-3 on the day with a double and her first home run of the season.
Meanwhile,
Maggie Chapin closed the game out in the circle. While Villanova (2-3) put the tying run on third base, and the winning run on second, Chapin struck out Brooklyn Ostrowski to preserve the win.
For Chapin (1-1), she came on in relief in the third and pitched the final five innings for the win. She struck out three against two walks and three hits while only giving up one run.
The game, which started early due to weather concerns, featured plenty of early fireworks on offense.
Emily Vinson roped a two-run single in the second for a two-run Lancer lead, but Villanova answered with four runs in the bottom half of the frame. Victoria Sebastian and Ostrowski hit back-to-back homers to start the spurt for the Wildcats.
However, Longwood answered with three straight hits in the third.
Lauren Fox singled, DeVivi doubled, and
Maryanna Guy drove them both home with a two-run single that knotted the score at four. Both Fox and Guy joined DeVivi with multi-hit days.
DeVivi's solo shot in the fifth was answered by Ostrowski's second solo bomb of the game in the sixth, setting the stage for a tight seventh inning. Both
Lauren Taylor and Fox beat out infield singles before DeVivi's go-ahead sacrifice fly.
Caroline Pellicano (1-2) took the loss for Villanova in the circle.
Game 2: No. 12/14 Alabama 7, Longwood 2
Alabama (4-0) opened with five runs in the first two innings to jump out to an early lead, and the Crimson Tide fended off Longwood late in the contest.
Abby Duchscherer opened the scoring for Alabama with a two-run home run, and she had an RBI double one inning later.
Longwood answered in the bottom of the second.
Sophia Knock rapped an RBI single, one of her two hits on the day.
Lauren Taylor and
Lauren Fox both singled in the third, and Taylor raced home on a wild pitch to cut it to 5-2. However, Alabama added late runs for the final margin.
Jocelyn Briski (2-0) earned the win in the circle for Alabama by throwing the final 4.2 innings.
Er'ron Burton (0-2) took the loss in the circle for Longwood.
The Lancers return to action on Sunday against Georgia Tech. The doubleheader was moved to start at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
#GoWood #HorsePower
