FARMVILLE, Va. — The Longwood softball team battled back from deficits of 5-0 and 7-5 to sweep Gardner-Webb, winning the finale of its Big South series, 10-7, on Sunday.
Redshirt sophomore catcher
Maryanna Guy blasted her third home run of the weekend, a second-inning three-run shot to left-center field to tie the game, 5-5. Guy finished the day 2-for-3 with a walk, run scored and five RBIs, adding a two-run single up the middle that plated
Avery Drake and
Sophia Knock to cap the scoring and secure a sweep.
"Could not be more pleased and proud of our team for how they fought today," Longwood head coach
Dr. Megan Brown said. "Games like this are why we play such a hard schedule. The grit and grind condition a team to dig deep and keep fighting."
Gardner-Webb jumped on Longwood left-handed starter
Cierra Gawryluk for and reliever
Morgan Strickland for five runs in the first inning. Gawryluk failed to record an out, pitching to the first four batters of the game, surrendering three hits, a walk an a run to take a 1-0 lead.
Strickland entered as Alli Stidham lifted a fly ball to center field, scoring Trina Van Dyke for a 2-0 lead. Carmen McRae then hit an 0-2 pitch out to left field for a three-run homer and 5-0 advantage.
The Lancers chipped away with a run in the bottom of the frame with a
Maggie Hiatt fielder's choice off of GWU starter Anna Hornbacker.
Sophia Pisacano lined a triple to gap in left center to lead off the bottom of the second and came around on a
Kate Westmiller RBI single up the middle with one out to cut the deficit to 5-2. Two batters later, Guy took the first pitch she saw from Hornbacker out for her 11th career homer.
That's the way it stayed until the top of the fourth. Gardner-Webb retook the lead with a van Dyke homer to left off of Strickland to make it 7-5.
Longwood rallied for five runs in the bottom of sixth inning to take the lead. Pisacano started things with a one-out double to right, the first of six consecutive hits off of Kyle. A
Sarah Terrell single put runners on the corners before Westmiller shot one through the middle to make it a 7-6 game.
Knock followed a double to score Terrell for a 7-7 tie.
Avery Drake then came up with the go-ahead hit, a double of her own, to plate Westmiller, making it 8-7. Guy then singled up the middle for the final margin.
Maggie Chapin came on in the top of the sixth and pitched two hitless innings with a strikeout to earn the victory in the circle, improving to 5-9.
Kyle (2-7) absorbed the loss for Gardner-Webb, giving up five earned runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Knock, Drake, Guy, Pisacano and Westmiller each collected two of Longwood's season-high 12 hits in the win.
With the victory, the Lancers improved to 9-22 and 3-3 in the Big South while Gardner-Webb fell to 16-22 overall and 1-8 in the league.
Longwood returns to action next Saturday and Sunday, hosting Presbyterian at Bank of the James Park. First pitch of the Saturday doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m.
