March 13, 2008
BOX SCORE
FAIRFAX, Va. -- Longwood University took a 7-6 baseball victory on the road at George Mason University Thursday in Fairfax. The Lancers improved to 7-5 this season while playing its second game in three days against the Patriots who are now 5-8. Longwood play again on Friday, March 14, hosting Coppin State University at Lancer Stadium in Farmville for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. (this is a change from the originally-scheduled single game at 3 p.m.)
Longwood scored three runs in the first inning at George Mason and led 7-2 after five innings en route to the road win. The Lancers added a single run in the second before scoring three more runs in the fifth, while the Patriots pushed across single runs in both the first and third innings before scoring four runs in the sixth to close to within one run. Fortunately, the visitors were able to maintain the advantage for the triumph and gain a split of the two games played this week against Mason who had won on Tuesday in Farmville (3-2).
In the first, junior Paul Heidler II/Warrenton (Notre Dame Academy) (2-4, RBI) opened the game with a home run to right field. Classmate Robbie Bailey/Mechanicsville (Hanover) (2-5, RBI) followed with a bunt-single and moved to third on a double from junior Jon Quigley/Annandale (W.T. Woodson) (2-5, RBI). A walk loaded the bases before Bailey scored unearned on a catcher interference call, and Quigley crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by senior Nick von Gersdorff/Purcellville (Loudoun Valley) (1-3, RBI). In the second, Bailey’s RBI double scored sophomore Topher Ellis/Virginia Beach (First Colonial) (0-4) who had reached on an error.
In the fifth, Heidler reached on an infield single and came all the way around to score on a throwing error that allowed Bailey to reach base and advance over to third. Bailey scored on an RBI ground-out by Quigley before freshman Justin Morreim/Virginia Beach (Frank W. Cox) (2-4) doubled to left field, moved to third on a wild pitch, and crossed the plate with what would prove to be the game-winner on an RBI single up the middle by sophomore Scott Kimble/Spotsylvania (Spotsylvania) (1-3, RBI).
George Mason scored in the first when Spencer Wiggins (2-5) reached on a bunt-single and later stole home with two outs. The Patriots added another run in the third with back-to-back, two-out doubles from Chris Henderson (1-4) and Scott Krieger (3-4, RBI). In the sixth, GMU put-together three consecutive singles to open the frame, including a run-scoring hit by Ryan Soares (1-4, RBI), along with an RBI double from Mark Hill (2-3, RBI), and a pair of RBI ground-ball outs.
Longwood freshman Garrett Lythgoe/Chesterfield (Matoaca) (2-0) earned the pitching win with the first 5.0-plus innings, scattering nine hits and five earned runs with two strikeouts. Sophomore Lance Harting/Ballston Spa, N.Y. (Ballston Spa) (2) picked-up the save for the Lancers with the final 4.0 innings, allowing one hit and one earned run with one strikeout. Trevor Rosenberg (0-1) took the mound loss for George Mason, yielding four hits and two earned runs with one strikeout over the first 1.1 innings.
