FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood baseball lost 5-4 in a heartbreaker in game one against USC Upstate on Friday night. The Spartans (12-11, 3-1 Big South) plated two runs in the ninth inning to rally past Longwood (15-7, 1-3 Big South).
Tre Keels had a three-run homer for the Lancers, but the Spartans eked out five runs in the final five innings to narrowly edge Longwood.
R H E
USC 5 7 1
LWU 4 5 1
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Tre Keels slammed a three-run homer to left field in the first inning to give Longwood a 3-0 lead.
Brogan Jones drove in a run in the second on a sac fly to extend the early lead 4-0.
However, USC Upstate got on the board when Henry Zenor drove a run in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 4-1, and Johnny Sweeney swatted a solo homer in the sixth for the Spartans.
USC Upstate cut it to 4-3 on a bases-loaded walk in the seventh before Maloy Heaghney hit a ball to left that was dropped on a sliding catch attempt to plate two runners for a 5-4 lead.
Jacob Kirby earned the win after pitching the eighth and striking out two while facing the minimum.
Max Kapin earned the save after pitching the ninth, giving up only one hit and no runs.
JR Fordham took a tough-luck loss after pitching the final 2.1 innings with four strikeouts.
WHAT THEY SAID:
"We wasted a great start by Lloyd tonight", said Head Coach
Ray Noe. "The offense really stalled after the first 3 innings, and we stranded a ton of runners in scoring position tonight. We had some swing moments in the game where we needed to make a pitch or have a good AB, and we weren't able to get it done."
"It's important we come out tomorrow and are prepared for another dog fight", said Noe. "USC Upstate is the defending champion for a reason, and we need to play clean in all facets in order to finish off these close games on the winning side."
UP NEXT:
The Lancers are back at it tomorrow for game two in the three-game series against USC Upstate, with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. This game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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