2.26.2012

IONA BOX SCORE

ST. PETER'S BOX SCORE

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University won its third-straight softball tournament to open this season, defeating both Iona College 1-0 and St. Peter's College 11-0 Sunday during the Wilson DeMarini Longwood Spring Classic at Lancer Field in Farmville.  The Lancers (11-3) were led against the Gaels (4-4) by junior Brooke Short|Hurt (Altavista) who had the game-winning RBI single in the fourth inning, and also earned a complete-game, four-hit shutout pitching victory, while against the Peacocks (0-4), sophomore Leta Bressin|Gloucester (Gloucester) had three hits and three RBI, and freshman Casey Lifsey|Portsmouth (Churchland) added two hits and three RBI, while freshman Libby Morris|Dillwyn (Buckingham) gained the complete-game, one-hit shutout pitching win.  Longwood will play again next weekend, March 2-4, at the Citrus Classic in Orlando, Florida -- opening against The Ohio State University of the Big Ten Conference on Friday, March 2, at 2:30 p.m.

Against Iona, it was an old-fashioned pitchers duel with Short getting the better of it against the Gaels' Sarah Jackson.  The lone run of the contest came in the fourth inning when freshman Megan Baltzell|Stafford (Mountain View) (1-3) led-off with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from classmate Kori Nishitomi|Kaneohe, Hawaii (Maryknoll) (0-2), and scored on a one-out RBI single by Short.  Short (5-1) took care of the rest on the mound with the complete-game, 7.0 inning shutout effort, scattering only four hits with no walks and five strikeouts.  Jackson was the hard-luck recipient on the other side of pitching clash, yielding just two hits through 6.0 innings and the one earned run with two walks and four strikeouts.

Against St. Peter's, Longwood scored one run in the first while plating five runs each in the third and fourth innings en route to the five inning, eight run rule.  In the first, Baltzell (2-3, RBI) doubled to open the game and scored on another one-out RBI single by Short (1-2, RBI). In the third, Baltzell led-off with a solo home run, followed by a two-out rally that featured a run-scoring single from senior Ashley Kramer|Ashburn (Broad Run) (2-4, RBI), a two-out, two-run single by Lifsey (2-3, 3 RBI), and an infield run-scoring single from Bressin (3-3, 3 RBI).

Longwood added five more runs in the fourth as senior Leigh Sexton|Suffolk (Randolph College) (2-3, RBI) had an RBI double, sophomore Marci Christian|Arvonia (Buckingham) (1-3, RBI) provided a one-out, RBI single, Lifsey added a two-out, run-scoring single, and Bressin added a two-out, two-run double for the Lancers.

Morris (6-2) earned the Longwood pitching win with another complete-game, 5.0 inning shutout effort, yielding only one hit with two walks and five strikeouts.

Longwood has now won each of the three weekend tournaments that it has participated and/or hosted to being this season.  The Lancers opened at the Georgia State First Pitch Classic Feb. 11-12 and went 3-1 to win the event.  LU followed last weekend with its 4-0 mark to win its own Lancer Lead-Off, before duplicating that effort with its four wins this weekend in the Wilson DeMarini Longwood Spring Classic.

At the Citrus Classic next weekend in Orlando, Longwood's second game in the event against Fordham on Saturday, March 3, at 2:30 p.m. will be video streamed live online at ESPN3.com.