April 2, 2006
BOX SCORE
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University took a 3-2 collegiate baseball victory past UMBC of the America East Conference Sunday afternoon at Lancer Stadium in Farmville, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs. The Lancers improved their record to 17-16, while UMBC dropped to 10-13 overall. Longwood will play again on Tuesday, April 4, hosting George Mason University of the Colonial Athletic Association at Lancer Stadium in Farmville beginning at 3 p.m..
Longwood and UMBC battled throughout the third game of the weekend series in a pitching duel after the Retrievers had swept Saturday’s doubleheader by scores of 9-3 and 9-0. On Sunday, however, the Lancers went with junior pitching ace Brian McCullough/Virginia Beach (Princess Anne) (4-2) on the mound who limited the visitors to just seven hits and one earned run with a career-high 12 strikeouts. The hosts scored the game-winning run in its final at-bat when junior Tyler Ames/Exmore (Northampton) (1-2, RBI) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to move sophomore pinch-runner Joe Bott/Elyria, Ohio (Elyria Catholic) across the plate to end the exciting contest. Bott was running for freshman Jon Quigley/Annandale (W.T. Woodson) (1-4) who had led-off the inning with a double to left center field.
Longwood had went ahead 1-0 in the second inning when freshman Robbie Bailey/Mechanicsville (Hanover) (1-3) tripled down the right field line with one out, and scored when classmate David Loel/Frankfort, Ohio (Frankfort Adena) (0-3, RBI) grounded out to third base on the next play.
UMBC pushed two runs across the plate in the third inning to lead 2-1 as Steve Bowen (1-3, RBI) hit a sacrifice fly to center field, and Zach Clark (1-4, RBI) hit an RBI single to left field. The Retriever runs were scored by Mark Lemon (1-4) who had singled, and Ian Carman (0-4) who had reached on a fielding error.
The Lancers tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning as junior Ryan Rowe/Richmond (Varina) (1-3) doubled down the left field line to open the frame, and scored on an RBI single by redshirt sophomore Zach Zigrang/Virginia Beach (Kempsville) (1-3, RBI).
McCullough took care of the rest with his outstanding, complete-game effort through 9.0 innings. He only walked one batter while inducing UMBC into eight fly-ball outs and six ground-ball outs.
UMBC was led offensively by Tom Meaney (2-4) with two doubles, the only two extra-base hits. Sean Rae (1-3) took the pitching loss with 1.0 innings of relief, allowing one hit and one earned run with one strikeout for the Retrievers. Eddie Bach had pitched 6.2 innings of middle relief, yielding just four hits and two earned runs with four strikeouts.
