February 24, 2007
BOX SCORE GAME 1
BOX SCORE GAME 2
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University dropped a baseball doubleheader to visiting Lafayette College Saturday at Lancer Stadium, falling 6-5 in the 11-inning opener and 5-2 in the nightcap. The Leopards (2-0) and Lancers (7-4) are scheduled to play their three-game weekend series finale on Sunday, February 25, at Lancer Stadium beginning at 12 p.m. (that game was canceled). Longwood will now host the College of William and Mary on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 2 p.m. in Farmville.
In the opener, Longwood scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game at 4-4 and force extra innings. Lafayette went back ahead 5-4 in the 10th inning but the Lancers responded once-again and tied the contest at 5-5 with a run in the 10th as well. The Leopards scored again in the top of the 11th inning to lead 6-5 and finally secured the win in the closely-played battle.
Lafayette scored two unearned runs in the third inning, aided by an error, passed ball, and a balk for the early 2-0 advantage. Longwood scored a run in the third when a sacrifice fly to center field by senior captain Tyler Ames/Exmore (Northampton) (1-4, RBI) drove home sophomore Robbie Bailey/Mechanicsville (Hanover) (3-5, 2 RBI) who had reached on a one-out single. The Leopards went ahead 3-1 in the fifth inning on a two-out RBI single by Joe Ezekiel (3-5, 3 RBI). LC made it 4-1 in the seventh inning a two-out RBI double from Ezekiel.
Longwood made it 4-2 in its half of the seventh when Bailey’s two-out RBI double to right-center field plated senior Tyler Childress/Montclair (Forest Park) (2-5) who had reached on a two-out single. The Lancers scored their two game-tying runs in the ninth as junior Nick von Gersdorff/Purcellville (Loudoun Valley) (1-3) singled to lead-off the inning, moved to third on a double by Childress, and crossed the plate on a passed ball. Childress scored the tying run on an RBI single from freshman Topher Ellis/Virginia Beach (First Colonial) (2-5, RBI). With only one out, LU was unable to produce the decisive run and the contest went to the 10th inning.
Lafayette scored another unearned run in the 10th on a two-out passed ball. Longwood tied it again at 5-5 in the 10th when Bailey’s two-out RBI single to center field scored sophomore Paul Heidler II/Warrenton (Notre Dame Academy) (1-5) who had reached on a walk to open the frame. The Leopards won it in the 11th after the lead-off batter reached on an error and later came around to score on a one-out single by Tom Hayes (1-5, RBI). Freshman Frank Berry II/Virginia Beach (First Colonial) (3-4) also collected three hits in the first game for the Lancers.
Senior Brian McCullough/Virginia Beach (Princess Anne) had pitched the first 6.0 innings for Longwood, allowing six hits and three runs, only one earned, with eight strikeouts and three walks. Junior John Farrell/Nantucket, Mass. (Nantucket) (2-1) took the hard-luck loss in relief, yielding one hit and one run, unearned, with three strikeouts and no walks over the final 1.1 innings. John Fugett (1-0) got the mound win in relief for Lafayette, allowing one hit and one run, unearned, with one strikeout and two walks over 1.0 inning. Brian Mostek (1) earned the save with the final 1.0 scoreless inning, giving-up no hits with two strikeouts.
In the nightcap, Lafayette took leads of 2-0 and 3-1 en route to the sweep of the day’s two games. The Leopards scored two runs in the first inning, both unearned and aided by an error, adding another run in the third on a one-out RBI single by Tom Ambrosole (3-3, 2 RBI). LC crossed the plate two more times in the fifth inning on a two-out, two-run single from Kevin Leasure (1-3, 2 RBI) – both runs unearned again after a error in the frame.
Longwood scored single runs in the second and third innings, the first run scored on a two-out solo home run to left field by Bailey (1-3, RBI) – his team-best second homer of the season. The Lancers scored again when Ames (0-2) was hit-by-a-pitch and later crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly to center field by freshman Casey Havers/Thorofare, N.J. (West Deptford) (0-1, RBI).
Sophomore Kevin Light/Mechanicsville (Hanover) (2-1) suffered the pitching loss for Longwood with the first 4.0-plus innings, allowing eight hits and four runs, one earned, with two strikeouts and two walks. Sophomore John Walker II/Alexandria (West Potomac) worked the final 3.0 innings, scattering three hits and one unearned run with two strikeouts as well. Matt Kamine (1-0) earned the mound win for Lafayette with a complete-game effort, allowing just four hits and two earned runs with six strikeouts and one walk.
