FARMVILLE, Va. — Toledo exploded for a eight-run top of the seventh inning, breaking open a 1-1 game, to beat the Longwood softball team, 9-3, on Saturday in the Longwood Invitational at Bank of the James Park.
The Lancers rebounded in their second game of the day to hang with No. 24/25 Virginia in a 3-0 loss.
"Very pleased with coming back and fighting against UVA," Longwood head coach Dr. Megan Brown said. "Have to find ways to score and get both sides of the ball in high gear so that they help each other."
The remaining two games of the tournament set for Sunday — Toledo- Virginia at 11 a.m., and Virginia-Longwood at 1:30 p.m., have been scrapped due to impending rain, though the Lancers and Cavaliers are working on a makeup date for their game that will announced when available.
Toledo (1-7) sent 13 batters to the plate in the decisive top of the seventh, getting a go-ahead, two-run single with the bases loaded from Samantha Bolding with no one out off of Cierra Gawryluk. Aubrey Miller followed with an RBI single to the gap in right-center field, and later in the inning, with Mallory Sanders in the circle, Eli Enriquez drove in two more with a single through the right side, extending the lead to 9-1.
Longwood got two back in the bottom of the inning on a Brooke Bennett RBI single to left field and a fielder's choice to shortstop from Sophia Knock that scored Sophia Knock, but Longwood got no closer.
Toledo scored first in the in the second inning on with an Emma Odyssey sacrifice fly to left that plated Eliza Maloney for a 1-0 lead.Â
From there, Gawryluk, on for Longwood starter Morgan Strickland held the Rockets in check until Longwood scratched out a run to tie the game, 1-1, in the bottom of the fifth. Sophia Pisacano started the frame with a walk and Ava Abromavage sacrificed her to second. Sarah Terrell then singled to short and Pisacano beat the play home to knot the game.
Gawryluk (0-1) took the loss with 4 2/3 innings. She surrendered six hits and four earned runs with two strikeouts and one walk. Katie McDonald improved to 1-0 with 6 1/3 innings, scattering seven hits and three earned.
Terrell went 3-for-3 out of the No. 2 spot in the order with an RBI and walk to pace Longwood's eight-hit offense in the opener.
Against Virginia (6-1), right-hander Maggie Chapin went the distance, allowing single runs in the first, fifth and seventh innings. She scattered seven hits, allowed five walks with four strikeouts to fall to 1-4.
UVA got a received an RBI groundout from Bella Cabral in the first inning and walked with the bases loaded in the fifth to make it 2-0. Macee Eaton added a solo homer to left in the seventh for the final margin.Â
Eaton had three of Virginia seven hits in the contest.
Avery Miller and Pisacano collected the Lancers' two hits — both singles — off of Julia Cuzzo and Eden Bigham.
Longwood is back in action next Friday in Gainesville, Fla., taking on Lindenwood and the Gators in a tournament at Florida. The Lancers also play Middle Tennessee State during the event.
