April 9, 2005

BOX SCORE

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Longwood University dropped a 9-1 baseball decision at VMI Saturday in Lexington.  The Lancers dropped to 11-21 this season with the road loss, while the Keydets improved to 16-17.  Longwood and VMI will play again Sunday, April 10, in Lexington beginning at 1 p.m. in the finale of the three-game weekend series.

At VMI of the Big South Conference, Longwood led early for the second-straight day with a run in the first inning before the Keydets scored single runs in both the second and third innings and never looked back.  The hosts added five runs in the fourth inning with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings for the final margiN.

Longwood was led by senior Chris Balus/Newport News (Denbigh) (2-4), sophomore Charlie Yarbrough/Richmond (Mills Godwin) (2-4), along with freshman Travis Lydon/Westlake, Ohio (St. Edward) (2-3) with two hits each.  Balus had a pair of singles and stole two bases to increase his team lead to 16 stolen bases.  Yarbrough and Lydon each contributed doubles, while sophomore Tyler Childress/Montclair (Forest Park) (0-2, RBI) added a sacrifice fly to score Balus with the lone Lancer run in the first.
    
Freshman Isaac Weiderman/Chillicothe, Ohio (Huntington) (1-4) took the pitching loss with the first 3.2 innings, allowing seven hits and six earned runs with one strikeout.  Freshman Rob Moody/Midlothian (Midlothian) pitched the final 4.1 innings, yielding four hits and three earned runs with one strikeout as well.
    
VMI was led by Elliott Erbe (3-4, 3 RBI) who had three hits and and three RBI, including a home run and a double, while Kelly Sweppenhiser (2-3, 2 RBI) hit a pair of solo home runs for the Keydets.  J.J. Hollenbeck (2-3) earned the mound win with a complete-game effort of 9.0 innings, scattering seven hits and one earned run with eight strikeouts.