FARMVILLE, Va. – Through the first two games of Longwood's highly anticipated series against Coastal Carolina, the Chanticleers have yet to find a way to keep Emily Murphy off the base paths.
 
Murphy broke out in a big way with her bat, going a combined 4-for-4 with three home runs as Longwood split a doubleheader against Coastal Carolina Tuesday afternoon at to open Lancer Field in 2015.
 
"It's a good feeling," Murphy said. "I've been in a little slump, but you just have to come out here and work hard each day. It's starting to come. I tried to stay a little more patient in the box."
 
Murphy came into Tuesday batting just .190 on the season, but her performance raised her batting average to .242 at day's end. She came into the game slumping with just two hits in her last 13 at-bats and just two extra base hits on the season.
She bettered that output on the day with three home runs to go along with a single and three walks.
 
"Emily looked the most comfortable that she's looked in a year and a half," said head coach Kathy Riley. "It would be a huge lift for our team if the girl in the box today would come out and do that consistently for us. We don't expect her to go 4-for-4 every game, but just to have that comfort level and trust in herself in the box. That was a big factor for our team today."
 
The Chanticleers and Lancers split a pair of games decided by run-rules, as Coastal Carolina took the first contest, 11-2, in five innings, before Longwood equaled the series with a 13-5 victory in five innings in game two.
 
The win against the Chanticleers marked the first for the Lancers since joining the Big South and the second in the Division I era, as the squad earned a 9-0 victory on March 6, 2010. Overall, it's the fourth win over Coastal Carolina in the series history.
 
For Riley, the victory brings her one game closer to No. 600 of her head coaching career, as she now owns 598 victories during her 22 seasons at Mount Olive and Longwood.
 
The Lancers and Chanticleers are set for the rubber match Wednesday at 3 p.m., at Lancer Field.
 
"We're excited to play them again tomorrow," Murphy said. "They're a good team and we're a good team, so we have to be ready to play."
 
Coastal Carolina 11, Longwood 2 (5)
Murphy homered twice, but the Chanticleers answered with three home runs of their own in the top of the third inning to claim an 11-2 victory in five innings in Longwood's home opener at Lancer Field.
 
"We started off the first game and didn't pitch well," Riley said. "Every mistake that we made over the plate, they hit the ball hard. You have to give them some credit for that. They hit three home runs. We didn't pitch well, so we didn't give ourselves much of a chance to get into a rhythm in the other phases of the game."
 
Murphy matched her career-high with three hits to pace the Lancers at the plate and blasted her first two home runs of the season in the contest. Glenn Walters and Carly Adams were the only other batters who were able to hit Coastal Carolina starter Kiana Quolas.
 
Quolas (7-8), the Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year, was strong in the circle to earn the victory for Coastal Carolina. She went all five innings and gave up two runs off five hits and a walk to go along with three strikeouts.
 
Elizabeth McCarthy (5-6) saw her four game win streak come to an end, as she went 3.0 innings allowing a career-worst nine runs off 11 hits and two walks. She would also strike out two Coastal Carolina batters.
 
The game marked the latest into a season that Longwood has opened Lancer Field in the Division I era.
 
Coastal Carolina's leadoff batter Bri Chiusano walked to open the game and came around to score three batters later off a single to left field from Amanda Daneker. The Chanticleers added a second run one batter later as Morgan Noad brought home Quolas on a sacrifice fly.
 
Murphy hit the third pitch she saw from Quolas over the fence in left center to get Longwood back within a run in the home half of the first inning.
 
Maicie Hahn recorded a one-out double down the left field line and came around to score six pitches later after a Taylor Harris single up the middle to regain a two-run advantage for the Chanticleers.
 
Coastal Carolina opened the floodgates in the top of the third inning, hitting two home runs in the inning and scoring six runs while bringing 10 batters to the plate. Kelsey Dominik hit a two-run shot off a 0-2 count, before Sara Rasley made it back-to-back home runs with a blast to straight away center field.  
 
Jenna Carnes replaced McCarthy in the top of the fourth. She went 2.0 innings, giving up two runs off three hits to go along with a pair of strikeouts.
 
Kory Haden hit a two-run home run of the day for Coastal Carolina off a 1-0 offering from Carnes.
 
Murphy's second round-tripper of the day came in the bottom of the inning on the first pitch of the at-bat.
 
Longwood 13, Coastal Carolina 5 (5)
Murphy hit her third home run of the day and earned three walks along with three runs scored, as Longwood earned a 13-5 victory in game two of the day in five innings.
 
"One of the things you really want coming out of that first game is to show that they are competitive athletes and I thought we did that today," Riley said.
 
The three walks for the Virginia Beach, Va., product is the second time in her Longwood career she has walked three times in a game. In addition, she also matched her career-best with three runs scored for the ninth time in her career and first time this season.
 
Two days after breaking Longwood's all-time home run record, Megan Baltzell added a grand slam, which marks her sixth homer in the past six games. The red-hot Baltzell has homered in four of her last five games and now has eight long balls on the season.
 
The Lancers seven different batters throughout the lineup with hits, including a 2-for-3 performance from Casey Lifsey along with three RBI and a run scored. Chelsea Sciacca also had a solid game totaling two RBI and two runs scored.
 
Libby Morris (2-5) earned her second victory of the season in the circle, pitching all five innings and allowing five runs off seven hits and a base on balls. She also posted six strikeouts.
 
"I thought overall she pitched well for us today," Riley said. "I thought she spotted her drop ball moved well for her today, her screwball moved well for her today."
 
Mackenzie Conrad (0-2) took the loss for Coastal Carolina, allowing eight runs, including seven earned, in 4.0 innings of work. Conrad also walked five batters while striking out one.
 
After stranding a pair of Coastal Carolina runners on first and second in the top half of the first inning, the Lancers were able to put up six runs in the bottom of the frame to jump out to an early 6-0 lead.
 
The first three Longwood batters were able to reach base, before Haleigh Kilby drew a bases loaded walk to score Murphy. Chelsea Sciacca brought around Justina Augustine and Baltzell with a two-run single to left field. The Lancers would tack on three more runs, bringing 12 batters to the plate.
 
"Emily [Murphy] started the second game by drawing a walk and just setting the table for us," Riley said. "We were really patient at the plate and we got six runs on three hits. A lot of that came from us being patient at the plate and waiting for a good pitch to hit. That's what really set the tone for us."
 
Longwood added another run an inning later, as Katie Shinrock roped an RBI single to left field to bring home Sciacca.
 
The Chanticleers were able to bring the deficit to just two runs after plating five runs in the top of the third inning. Rasley delivered the big blow of the inning with a grand slam to right center.
 
Murphy delivered her third homer of the day to left center to lead off the home half of the third inning to give the Lancers a three-run cushion.
 
Longwood had its second big inning of the game in the fourth, scoring five runs as Baltzell delivered the knockout blow with a grand slam to straight away center field. The Lancers also tacked on a run off a Lifsey single through the left side.
 
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