SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The Longwood softball team hit four home runs in a doubleheader sweep of USC Upstate at Cyrill Stadium Saturday, winning 5-2 and 6-3 to vault into second place in the Big South Conference standings.
Sophomore shortstop
Naleya Bridges hit one homer in each game, including the Lancers' third in the three-jack fifth inning that staked Longwood to a 6-1 advantage in the second game of the day.
The Spartans scored twice in the bottom of the fifth, but the combination of
Cierra Gawryluk and
Morgan Strickland sealed the win in the circle for
Maggie Chapin with Strickland earning her first NCAA save.
"Very proud of our young ladies' grit and fight," Longwood head coach
Dr. Megan Brown said. "Proud of their teamwork and staying together."
The sweep ended Upstate's seven-game winning streak while improving the Lancers to 19-28 overall and 10-7 in the league. By virtue of the sweep, Longwood holds the tiebreaker against the Spartans, who are also 10-7 in the conference going into the series final Sunday at 3 p.m., on ESPNU.
The Lancers never trailed on the day, getting a complete-game victory from
Er'ron Burton in the opener and a strong 5 1/3 innings from Chapin in the second game in the circle. Both right-handers scattered eight hits apiece with Burton (4-4) allowing just one earned run with four strikeouts. Chapin (8-12) gave up three earned and fanned three.
With game one tied, 1-1, in the top of the fourth, Bridges drove a 2-0 pitch over the wall in left-center field off of Sierra Manness (20-6) for a 2-1 lead. Amie Johnson doubled home Abby Polk in the bottom of the frame to bring the Spartans even again before Longwood put the game away with three in the top of the sixth.
Sophomore
Berkeley Whitten started the inning with a pinch-hit single and Bridges followed, reaching on a fielding error by Liza Simmerson at second base. After Manness uncorked a wild pitch to move the runners to second and third,
Sarah Terrell hit a sinking line drive that Denver Lauer mishandled in center field to plate
Sophia Knock for a 3-2 edge.
Terrell then stole second and Manness recorded a strikeout, but
Kate Westmiller bounced a ball to right side, allowing Bridges to come home.
Avery Drake reached on another error by Simmerson at second, scoring Terrell.
Bridges finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored and the homer, leading the Lancers' eight-hit attack. Six others collected hits for Longwood and Westmiller drove in a game-high two runs.
Longwood jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game two before the Spartans grabbed their bats.
Maggie Hiatt tallied an RBI single to score Drake, Knock lined out to second, scoring
Brooke Bennett after a throwing error and Bridges and
Mary Zepeda executed a perfect double steal to cap the scoring in the inning.
Up, 3-1, in the fifth, Bennett took a 3-2 offering out to right field with one out for her fourth homer of the season to make it 4-1. Two batters later,
Maryanna Guy hit her team-leading 10th homer of the season, also to right. Then, Bridges followed immediately with her sixth to left field, marking the fourth time this season the Lancers have hit back-to-back dingers.
Johnson and Polk had run-scoring hits in the sixth off of Chapin, but Gawryluk and Strickland recorded the final five outs for the sweep.
Bridges went 2-for-3 in the second game with the homer and a walk and Bennett had her home run two runs scored and three walks.
